Canteen’s mission is to be in the corner of every young person when cancer crashes into their world.

We get it. Just when life should be full of possibilities, cancer crashes into a young person’s world and shatters everything. Canteen is the only organisation in Australia dedicated to providing tailored support for young people aged 12-25 who are impacted by cancer. Through Canteen, they learn to explore and deal with their feelings about cancer, connect with other young people in the same boat and, if they’ve been diagnosed themselves, Canteen provides specialist, youth-specific treatment teams. Every year, another 23,000 young people aged 12-25 are impacted by cancer, whether it’s a close family member’s diagnosis or their own. By feeling understood and supported, young people develop resilience and can rebuild the foundations that crumbled beneath them when cancer turned their life upside down. That’s how Canteen is the difference.

Canteen works by having young people at the centre of everything we do. We were set up by a group of young cancer patients in 1985 and still have young people who have been impacted by cancer guiding the organisation at every level. Combined with our leading edge research into the emotional and social impacts of cancer, it ensures that we truly understand how cancer is different in a young person’s world.

For more information or to get support, explore the how we help section, email us at support@canteen.org.au or call 1800 835 932. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.