Young cancer survivors go to surf camp

Humanitarian Updates

Participants invited to Young Cancer Survivors Surf Camp in Cape Town in April

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 1 February, 2013 : - - People Living With Cancer (PLWC) is excited to announce its first Young Survivors Adventure (YSA), a survivorship workshop and surf camp taking place in Noordhoek, Cape Town from 5-7 April 2013. This is the first event of its kind to be held in South Africa and runs as part of the PLWC Cancer Buddies program. The weekend camp takes place with the support of Billabong, Stoked School of Surf, Living Art Farm, Bos Ice Tea and The Vrede Foundation.

Renowned psychologist and avid Cape Town surfer, Dr. Helgo Schomer will participate as a guest speaker at the first camp in April.

The weekend-long surf camp will include beginner surf instruction, ocean knowledge lessons, outdoor activities, survivor education and plenty of fellowship and fun. Attendees will have a chance to share insights and learn coping skills for many of the physical and psychological challenges cancer survivors and fighters face.

The group will share the joy of the sport - both the thrill of riding a first wave and the therapeutic beauty of the ocean.

Linda Greef from People Living With Cancer says “Integrating the YSA surf program into our ‘Cancer Buddies’ survivor mentoring service is wonderful opportunity for us to help young people connect with fellow cancer fighters and survivors, participate in new challenges and feel empowered to reclaim their lives and identities.

This is going to be an unforgettable experience for our program participants and YSA staff alike. We are grateful to the support of all our partners such as Billabong for helping us to make this idea a reality.” Anyone interested in participating in this Young Cancer Survivors Surf Camp can contact the PLWC Toll-Free line at 0800 033 337 or linda.greef@cancercare.co.za

PLWC is an NGO dedicated to providing peer support and mentorship for cancer fighters, survivors and caregivers. PLWC’s aim is to provide innovative support activities that meet the needs of Cancer patients in the diverse country of South Africa.

The Cancer Buddies program is geared to providing peer support, carefully matching a newly diagnosed cancer patient to someone that has fought and survived the same cancer. The program also makes connections between family members and caregivers of those fighting cancer. PLWC will be helping to facilitate some of the weekend’s activities that are geared to help participants who may feel challenged by aspects of their own cancer experience.

The mission of each YSA project is to enable young cancer fighters and survivors to experience healing natural environments, learn new skills and develop confidence through action sports and outdoor activities and to develop and maintain bonds with fellow survivors.

Some of the goals of the forthcoming Surf Camp are:

•  Provide a space for young cancer survivors to meet in a fun environment and learn new skills.

• Enable participants to get to know other young cancer survivors and share experiences.

• Offer mentorship for navigating the cancer challenge.

• Grow a community of like-minded young people to develop an innovative support and mentoring project for young people affected by cancer.

For more information and to download the Registration Form for this surf camp please view the website at: http://www.plwc.org.za/ysa-young-survivors-adventure

About living Art Farm: This weekend residential camp will be hosted at the Living Art Farm in Noordhoek, Cape Town. Living Art Farm is fantastically situated for the participants surf lessons in nearby Muizenberg, has a large organic vegetable farm providing all the meals for the duration of the course and will offer guidance to participants regarding healthy eating practices.

Living Art Farm can host up to ten people in a variety of fully equipped and comfortable rooms. There are workshop areas and shared dining facilities.

Sample Itinerary: The course runs over two days - Saturday and Sunday. Participants will need to arrive at the accommodation on Friday evening. There will be two surfing sessions on Saturday and Sunday morning. Food and refreshments will be provided. Time after lunch will be spent sharing experiences and participating in some sessions based around the work of PLWC and Cancer Buddies designed to develop confidence amongst the participants and equip them with coping skills as young cancer survivors.
The workshop will end on Sunday evening. A more detailed itinerary will be made available once the workshop dates and are confirmed and the places are filled.

Learning to Surf with Stoked School of Surf: YSA is fortunate to be partnered with Stoked School of Surf who are committed to providing a safe and enjoyable experience for all the participants regardless of age of athletic ability. The lessons will take place in Cape Town’s recognized learner environment of Muizenberg. Instructors will teach participants safety in the water, ocean knowledge and of course how to surf and have a lot of fun. All the instructors are fully qualified and accredited ISA surf coaches.

www.plwc.org.za/ysa-young-survivors-adventure

Source: Life's a Beach Communications

Author: Patrick Young

Tags: Cancer, Young Survivors, Africa

Humanitarian: Surfersvillage