«The Needs of Young Cancer Survivors»

Within the framework of Horizon Europe’s Research and Innovation Programme 2021-2027, the conference “Addressing the Needs of Young Cancer Survivors” held in Brussels last February focussed on improving the quality of life of children, adolescents and young adults who have survived cancer. It created a safe space where survivors could share their experiences.

The focus was on the needs of survivors and their parents. The variety of topics and challenges were deepened in preparatory workshops and presented to a larger audience at the conference. Those affected themselves gave important input on the issues related to mental health, future research interests and political actions, but also on equal opportunities for children, adolescents and young adults. The Head of the Survivors’ Centre at Childhood Cancer Switzerland, Zuzana Tomášiková, was also present and took the opportunity to demand concrete measures together with the other stakeholders of the various non-profit organisations.

Another project in which the specialist unit actively represents the interests of survivors is the newly founded European network “EU-CAYAS-NET”. Zuzana Tomášiková was able to take part in training sessions and exchange formats. Work continued on an ambassador programme, alongside the presentation of the freshly launched platform https://beatcancer.eu. The aim is to empower young survivors to represent their interests in their region or country and to campaign for the issues relevant to young survivors. 
 

The idea of “peer visits” was also discussed further. Interested survivors, parents and professionals visit renowned institutions in Europe to learn about different models of follow-up care, transition and treatment. The insights gained will be incorporated into the project and taken into account when it comes to defining the guidelines and positioning.

The crowning glory of the intensive week was the successful get-together of all main project partners. Here you could follow the progress of the last months, an outlook for the coming period as well as discuss open issues.

For more information on the project, go to https://beatcancer.eu. If you are interested in taking part yourself, please contact Zuzana Tomášiková directly. We are looking forward to hearing from you!