Every year, a group of 18-25 year olds who have finished cancer treatment comes together in Sydney for THRIVE - a free, three-day program specially designed for young people living beyond cancer. This year's evaluation tells a remarkable story.
Every single survey respondent - yes, 100% - said they were satisfied with THRIVE, that it met their needs, that the quality was excellent, and that they would recommend it to a friend in a similar situation.
What young people told us
The qualitative responses captured something that statistics alone can't fully convey: how much young people are craving a space where they don't have to explain themselves.
"It's very hard to explain to people who haven't had cancer how 'not normal' you feel, but THRIVE was a safe space where I didn't have to worry about if I'd relate to people or say the wrong thing."
That feeling of invisibility after treatment ends - looking well but not feeling it - is something many in the YCS community know from clinical work. THRIVE is one of the few programs in the country directly addressing it.
What comes next
The evaluation also captured what young people want from future programs: sessions on fear of recurrence, survivor's guilt, family relationships, and coping with anxiety around future medical appointments. This feedback will be fed directly into our program planning.
