Cancer Awareness Activities:

The Schools programme carries cancer education to a receptive audience. It concentrates on Preventable Health issues caused by tobacco & drug abuse, healthy diet, etc. School Teachers are trained to understand how lifestyle choices made in youth create fertile ground for disease to grow.

Radio is a Voice Multiplier. The use of FM channels carries our message further afield.
We find that our programmes are reaching a wider audience when AIR airs them on other channels. A Cancer Helpline 99 105 16562 is very popular and the focus has shifted from requests for financial help to requests for information.

Training:

There is explosion of knowledge due to advancement of Information Technology. With just the touch of a button score of confusing information appear on the screen of smart phones. The same needs to be sifted to ensure its authenticity. So, we cannot risk leaving volunteers to use readily available information without their training.

Current practice for the new volunteers is the in-house orientation of a few hours, giving them general overview of some of the common cancers, their risk factors and a session on emotional support. This is not intended to build high level of information about types of cancer. Consequently, it is not enough to build their confidence to take on the responsibility as an awareness speaker or emotional support provider without undertaking additional learning on their own. Training of a new volunteer definitely includes mentoring by an experienced volunteer with whom he/she regularly interacts and also accompanies the mentor a few times for awareness/radio talks or hospital visits. This is likely to motivate a new volunteer as well as develop his/her confidence level.

Both new and old volunteers need to update their knowledge about other types of cancers like liver, pancreatic, prostrate, skin, blood and child cancers etc. In these areas outside experts may be invited where they address only ICS volunteers, so that there is enough time available for clearing volunteers’ queries.

Streamlining training process and working out both syllabus and calendar of training schedule is an on-going process.