What can I do for World Cancer Day?

Nada, a full-time University student from Saudi Arabia, is spending her evenings organising an ambitious cancer awareness raising campaign – enlisting sponsors and experts for what she hopes will be the biggest educational streaming event across the Middle East - through YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook.

Worlds away in Germany, Benjamin, a 27-year old cancer survivor is a voice for young cancer patients; using his influence as a blogger along with his network of activists, supporters and traditional media to fight for more cancer education for young people.

In Switzerland, Hannah, a high school student whose father was recently diagnosed with cancer has been rallying her school to raise money and awareness among her friends and peers.

For Nada, Benjamin and Hannah’s generation, the projected 13 million cancer deaths by 2030 will become their reality if we don’t act today. As 4 February approaches, the most frequent question that get asked is: “What can I do?”.

Now more than ever, you have the opportunity to use your voice, influence, reach and actions to contribute to the fight against cancer. The World Cancer Day campaign theme of ‘We can. I can.’ is an empowering message that actions at both the collective level and individual level can make a difference. We can raise awareness, we can give ourselves the best chance in preventing cancer, we can improve cancer education for all and we can insist our governments prioritise cancer.

In 2016, we saw individuals, organisations, schools and groups take World Cancer Day to the streets, to boardrooms, classrooms, parks and playgrounds, neighbourhoods, to remote villages and social media. Collectively, we reached millions of people around the world.

In 2017, we again need your help. Together, let’s use World Cancer Day, to bring cancer to the fore in all our conversations with our governments, the media, our colleagues, communities, families and friends.

Here are some examples on how to get involved:

• Join the Support through Sport social media activity, for example, and use the power of sport and social media to help fight cancer.
• Or, sign up to the World Cancer Day Thunderclap campaign and lend your social reach to help amplify the World Cancer Day message.
• Another way to get involved, is to raise awareness by distributing the World Cancer Day posters, social media banners and factsheets.
• If you already have you World Cancer Day plans finalised, don't forget to add them to the Map of Impact to let the world know what you're organising.

Of course, there are many, many other ways to add your support.  If you’re still not quite sure, how you, your workplace, school, city, or your community can get involved, take a look at the World Cancer Day website, worldcancerday.org. There, you will find, freely available resources to get you started, as well as examples of what other individuals and organisations are doing in and around the Day. 

Join us, our partners and members, and those like Nada, Benjamin and Hannah on World Cancer Day this 4 February. Because, together, ‘We can. I can.’, make a difference in the fight against cancer.