The Canadian Cancer Society’s (CCS) Prairies Volunteer Training Workshop held in Calgary was said to be a game changer for the Kamsack Cancer Self Help Group with their newly-cemented affiliation with the CCS.
The workshop, held in Calgary on June 9, 10 and 11, was a unique learning opportunity for participants from across the Canadian prairies to come together for training, information and inspiration.
Janice Derwores, co-chair of the Kamsack Cancer Self Help Group, was selected as one of the 30 participants to attend the weekend workshop, which was held at the Best Western Plus Port O’ Call Hotel in Calgary.
The fast-paced weekend began Friday evening with the participants from Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Nunavut gathering for a meet-and-greet session, as well as to receive an overview of the training that would be offered during the weekend, Derwores said.
Karla Heintz, senior manager, programs, CCS, based in Calgary, was one of five facilitators conducting the workshop, and began the evening by telling the participants that “no Canadian has to face cancer alone.”
This succinct and powerful message was the heart of the training workshop, the goal of which was to empower each participant with tools, skills and confidence to offer vital support to other women and men affected by breast cancer in their communities, she said.
Danielle VandeZande, senior manager, support services and community engagement, CCS, then welcomed the participants and explained how the training program has been continually evolving from inception in the 1990s. She said the ongoing goal was to provide consistency yet acknowledge the uniqueness from all the different communities across the prairies.
Recently a merger between the CCS and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) provided an expansion of the information and fundraising base for the CCS.
Joanne Stewart, senior director of community and volunteer engagement with the CCS, sent a welcome message to the workshop participants which included the following: “We recognize that peer support groups remain a valuable, much-needed supportive resource.
“No one understands the impact a breast cancer diagnosis can have on a woman’s life and the challenges that she may face as well as someone who has been ‘in her shoes’– a peer.
“Throughout this weekend, you will learn how your lived experiences make you (and your support group members) uniquely qualified to support others living with breast cancer,” Stewart said. “You are an invaluable source of knowledge, insight and encouragement.”
“It was such an incredible opportunity to learn and network,” Derwores said when asked how she felt about attending the workshop. “The workshop exceeded all my expectations.”
“The facilitators were knowledgeable, helpful, and mindful and worked well together to provide the participants the tools they needed to go back to their home communities with a renewed sense of purpose and empowerment,” she said.
“In my opinion, this weekend was a game changer for our Kamsack support group because we now have the confirmed support of the resources that are available from the CCS, and will be able to expand on our information base,” she said. “For the group this is significant.
“Everyone across Canada can access comprehensive information through the CCS just by calling its toll free number 1-888-939-3333, sending an email to info@cis.cancer.ca. or by going to the website support.cbcf.org.
“Our facilitators pointed out that ‘We are stronger when we partner together,’ she said. “My life experience has taught me that this is true.
“I feel confident that the workshop has opened new doors for the Kamsack Cancer Self Help Group and look forward to implementing the new strategies I have learned this weekend.”
The Kamsack Cancer Self Help Group meets every third Wednesday of the month in the boardroom of the Sunrise Health Region building on Queen Elizabeth Boulevard East at 1:30 p.m. The group does not meet during the months of July and August.
