We are proud to announce that we are today launching our new campaign called Teach Cancer A Lesson.
At some point in our lives, most of us will be touched by a cancer diagnosis. Unfortunately, in this country thousands of young people and their families face this heart-breaking situation every single year.
As longstanding educators with decades of shared experience, we had assumed that all young people diagnosed with cancer would receive immediate educational support. We were shocked to learn that this was not the case.
In fact, young people diagnosed with cancer rely on a patchy and unequal system of educational support – effectively a postcode lottery. That cannot be right.
As a result of this imbalance, many young people diagnosed with cancer face gaps in their education, often at critical moments in their lives. We have seen countless examples of young people whose life chances have been seriously – and sometimes permanently – affected due to a lack of timely intervention.
That is why we are launching this campaign. Our goal is to raise awareness of this injustice and to effect policy change within government.
Our vision is one where all young people diagnosed with cancer can hope for a better future in the knowledge that comprehensive educational support will be available to them at their time of greatest need.
No young person or their family should have to fight for the right to an education.
No young person should fall behind due to illness, especially something as devastating as cancer.
And most importantly, no young person should face barriers to reaching their full potential.
Our mission is to ensure that is the case.
Dame Kathryn August and Tim Lowe
Co-Chairs, Teach Cancer A Lesson