Wellspring Alberta – Cancer Support – Community Connector Volunteer Training Program

The Cause

The project's objective is to develop a training program that enhances the capacity of Community Connector volunteers in Alberta. The Community Connector volunteer role is focused on community engagement and co-creating sustainable cancer support in regional/remote areas.

By empowering local ambassadors to support awareness of, and connection to our Wellspring community, we aim to bridge the gap in community cancer-related support. The success of the Community Connector volunteer role is dependent on an evidence-informed training program that is unique to the Wellspring network. This professionally developed program will elevate the access and sustainability of quality cancer support closer to home, benefiting those affected by cancer in Alberta.

Wellspring Alberta is the only cancer support organization building volunteer capacity across the province. A professional educator will be contracted to develop the training, using evidence-informed practices based on the successful Rural Mental Health Project (RMHP) ‘Community Animator’ model (https://www.ruralmentalhealth.ca/about/who-we-are# ). The RMHP uses the 8 Domain model, adapted from social determinants of health, to improve mental health by building local capacity. The Animator network has flourished and has been a catalyst for rural communities sharing and creating knowledge that advances rural wellbeing While the Animator model focuses on broader community mental health, the Community Connector program will focus on cancer support. By utilizing a similar approach with Wellspring Alberta’s Community Connector volunteers, this project will improve access to cancer support specifically for those living with cancer in regional and rural communities throughout Alberta.

In-person training will be offered in each of our outreach communities. It will be offered as part of the volunteer training presented at both houses in Calgary as well as our Edmonton house. The estimated training time is 3-6 hours, and Wellspring Alberta aims to recruit 6-12 Community Connector volunteers in the next 12 months to support outreach initiatives and in person programming in Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, and Grande Prairie.

Who Will it Benefit?

This training will directly benefit all Wellspring volunteers. The training will be delivered to 268 existing volunteers, (This number includes 18 Community Connector volunteers) as a compliment to their current training. It will be especially impactful to any newly recruited Community Connector volunteers, and the staff who manage them.

Having well trained volunteers affects the 2802 people we currently serve in Alberta.

"You have cancer." Every day in Alberta, over 60 people hear these three words. One in two Albertans will hear these words in their lifetime. By 2040, the number of new cases in Alberta annually is projected to be over 33,700, a 36% increase since 2019. Thankfully people are also living longer with cancer, further escalating the need for support for those who are impacted.

We all know the importance of cancer research and medical treatment. However, those living with cancer know that the steps to recovery, the mindset of living well, and the hope of living longer with cancer, all require support and resources beyond the medical umbrella.

Estimated number of people living with cancer in Alberta as those diagnosed in the last 5 years, their caregivers or children. 140,000+

Wellspring offers programs and services that meet the identified needs of those living with cancer. The emotional distress of a cancer patient with unmet emotional needs can escalate to significant levels where it can compromise adherence to therapy, increase utilization of other healthcare services and elevate costs for care.

Wellspring has devoted its work to address these non-medical impacts of cancer. Research shows cancer patients who participate in the types of programs offered at Wellspring experience improved mental health resulting in higher quality of life and lower healthcare costs.