The overall aim of the project Cancer Advocacy Academy was to enhance the access to specialised, scientifically correct online information for European patients from those European countries with proven insufficient records of access to the internet and to increasing the capacity of cancer patients to best use social media channels in a way that will further benefit their work. This one- year project, run by ECPC, was funded by the Waldesian Church in Italy.
CAA Objectives
The overall objective was to achieve the following 2 deliverables:
• Deliverable 1: The grant was partly used to provide eight ECPC Full members with hardware to allow them to access the internet. The organisations were selected based on their outstanding work/dedication and on the necessity for them to receive support in carrying out their activity. The 8 organisations are based in Romania, Greece, Bulgaria, Poland, Slovenia, FYROM and Spain.
• Deliverable 2: ECPC provided two dedicated online trainings to the eight beneficiaries:
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- Training 1: An individualised audit of the presence of the eight selected ECPC members across the media channels where they are present: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube with the aim to build a clear, comprehensive Communication Strategy. The outcome of the audit which was followed by the discussions with ECPC members was putting together a Social Media Manual that is supposed to help ECPC Members to use social media channels in most efficient way.
Download ECPC Social Media Manual here
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- Training 2: The second training focused on Advocacy skills and government affairs: Using ECPC campaigns to advocate for the rights of cancer patient at a local level and fundraise for individual organisations.
CAA Impact
By providing equipment to these eight beneficiaries we contributed towards our aim: enhance the access to specialised, scientifically correct online information for European patients. We strongly believe that access to good information starts with the possession of good IT equipment. Indeed, empowering cancer patients starts with providing them the instruments for raising their voice in the new, fast – paced, 21st millennium. Cancer, in fact, knows no difference of age, gender and education level. The role of ICT technology is fundamental in ensuring cancer patients can understand and access vital information about their disease.
Thus, having updated equipment will allow these organisations to:
• Become more visible on social media
• Communicate their best practices with other ECPC members that are abroad
• Create awareness campaigns online
• Print awareness materials and help cancer prevention
• Better support their patients who are not always able to come in person
Organisations
- Cancer Patients Association of Slovenia– Slovenia
- Borka – FYROM
- Romanian Oncology Association “Saint Anna” – Romania
- Association PAVEL – Romania
- National Association of Patients with Oncological Diseases (APOZ) – Bulgaria
- Association of Cancer Patients of Athens “KEFI” – Greece
- Win Health Foundation – Poland
- GEPAC – Spain