Localife St. John’s! Yes, it’s happening, and we need volunteers to lead it!
Localife has been running in Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, and Ottawa for two years and in Vancouver since August 2014. It has been a hugely successful program in these cities so we thought it was time to try it in our own backyard. So, here we go!
We are looking for two amazing volunteers to help us get this program up and running in St. John’s, NL.
What is Localife?
Localife is an initiative that involves young adult cancer survivors and supporters coming together to enjoy fun activities and social time with their peers. It was developed by Young Adult Cancer Canada (YACC) to address the isolation that many young adults face after diagnosis.
Every couple of months, young adults and their supporters have a chance to get together for fun social activities such as movie nights, curling, mini golf, pub night, hiking, and much more!
Am I qualified?
To be eligible for this position, you must be:
- a young adult aged 18-39, who received (or support someone who received) a cancer diagnosis between the ages of 15 and 39*;
- living in, or near, St. John’s;
- at least one year post-treatment, or the supporter of someone at least one year post-treatment; and,
- be an alumnus of a YACC program, or able to provide at least one reference from a professional involved in providing your cancer care/support.
Desired qualities:
- Passionate about helping others and a demonstrated commitment to volunteering;
- Outgoing, friendly, charismatic, and enthusiastic about building community;
- A positive attitude and a creative and optimistic approach to challenges;
- Empathetic, caring, and respectful;
- A self-starter who is able to work independently and effectively manage time without getting overwhelmed;
- Demonstrates integrity and trustworthiness;
- Excellent written and oral communication skills;
- Demonstrated ability to see projects through from start to finish;
- In a place of peace and acceptance with your personal cancer experience;
- Not over-committed with other responsibilities (work, volunteer, family); and,
- Bilingualism is not necessary, but would be viewed as an asset.
Educational/professional background in one of the following areas is preferred, but not necessary:
- Social Work
- Nursing
- Psychology/Counselling
- Health promotion
- Teacher/Instructor
- Recreation therapy
- Art therapy
- Volunteer coordination
- Event planning
- Digital media (i.e. social media management; filmmaking; etc.)
Major responsibilities
Support: To coordinate and facilitate three to five Localife activities per year, and to serve as a liaison between local survivors/supporters and YACC. This involves some administrative work (data entry, writing blogs, etc.), so being comfortable with word processing tools and Google docs. would be an asset.
Awareness/Advocacy: To nurture existing relationships with health professionals and foster new ones, and to ensure local cancer centres, hospitals, and community-based cancer organizations are well-stocked with up-to-date YACC resource materials.
Time commitment
We ask that all people interested in applying are confident that they can commit approximately five to eight hours per month from December 2014 to June 2016.
We also require applicants to be available for two training sessions: Either Tuesday, September 30 from 6-9 p.m. OR Wednesday, October 1 from 6-9 p.m. AND Saturday, October 4 from 9-1 p.m.
Training will take place in St. John’s.
This is a volunteer position, however, YACC will provide an honorarium to Localife leaders to ensure they do not incur costs through participation in the program.
Apply!
If you think you’d make a great Localife Leader and you meet the eligibility criteria, please complete an application form and submit to Lesley ([email protected]) by Sunday, October 15, 2014.
Leader statements
Here’s what some of our other leaders had to say about their experiences:
“Before my cancer days, I didn’t know my purpose in life. After cancer, I found my purpose in life was to support my fellow young adult cancer survivors. I hope it won’t be for the rest of my life, but it truly has been a large part of my young adult life.
Seeing all the young adult survivors come together and share their stories and find answers to questions that cancer brings into our young lives is kind of fulfilling — in a good way — after encountering cancer. I have really learned a lot about myself and the issues among young adults as a Localife leader. It has definitely made me a stronger person.”
– Bonnie Lum, Localife Toronto
“Being a Localife leader is an amazing experience. You are creating opportunities for young adult cancer patients and survivors to break from the isolation of cancer and connect with their peers. Seeing new connections being made, new friendships being formed, and helping to build the community are some of the best rewards of being a Localife leader.”
– Chris Chow, Localife Ottawa
“I love meeting new survivors and supporters and seeing them meet their peers who have been affected by cancer as well. For a lot of people it’s the first time they have ever met other ‘young’ people with cancer, and it makes me feel good knowing that we had a small part in making their cancer journey just a little bit less lonely and isolating.
A great thing about localife is that it is so casual. The way the events typically are set up, it just feels like a night out with friends! There is a lot of laughter, smiles and shared stories. We have had great feedback from some people who got so much out of a casual night of hanging out. I have nothing but good things to say about my experience as a Localife leader, you should totally sign up!”
– Colin Anderson, Localife Calgary
*At least one leader in each city must be a young adult cancer survivor