As part of World Rheumatic Disease Day (WoRD Day), Cassie + Friends is announcing the official launch of our Youth Leadership Committee – a group of six young adults living with rheumatic conditions who will champion new C+F initiatives to support teens and young adults through major transitional stages of life, such as:
- Beginning or graduating from high school;
- Transitioning from pediatric to adult health care;
- Preparing to enter the workforce, and
- Managing daily life with pain, symptoms, and medications.
Having faced their own health challenges and emerged as strong advocates, the Youth Leadership Committee (YLC) will begin hosting their own educational, social and fundraising events for youth ages 12-25 as part of Cassie and Friends’ (C+F) mission of transforming lives within the Juvenile Arthritis and broader rheumatic disease community. Moving forward, the YLC will be act as a platform for young people living with rheumatic diseases all across Canada to connect, support one another, and gain confidence in managing their health conditions.
Without further ado…meet the C+F Youth Leadership Committee!
Alison Legge | YLC Chair
Alison is thrilled to be joining Cassie + Friend’s Youth Leader Committee. Having been diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis at age 3, she understands the trials and tribulations that children and their families undergo while dealing with rheumatic diseases. She hopes to leverage her insights to help make their lives a little bit easier. When Alison is not volunteering, you can find her in one of two places: hanging out with her puppy, or at Rogers Arena where she works as the Fan Insight Data Analyst for the Vancouver Canucks.
Chelsea Gill | Community Coordinator
Chelsea first got involved with with Cassie + Friends as a teen, where she attended multiple Family Day events with her sister and her Mom. Most recently, she hosted a fireside chat with olympian Spencer O’Brien at Family Day Vancouver 2018. Chelsea is incredibly excited to be a part of the YLC, as she has aspired to support, advocate for, and educate youth dealing with rheumatic diseases. In her spare, Chelsea trains at the gym (sometimes intense obstacle courses and runs). She also recently embarked on her lifelong dream to learn how to play guitar.
Ravia Khangura | Teen Arthritis and Autoinflammatory Group Chapter Leader
Since her Juvenile Arthritis diagnosis at age 13, Ravia has been an active advocate and leader through volunteering at programs and initiatives that inspire youth living with rheumatic diseases to connect and to recognize that they are not alone in their challenges. She was a camp counselor at Camp Capilano for several years, and she has also been involved with Cassie + Friends as a speaker at Family Day in Vancouver. Outside of her volunteer commitments, you can find Ravia learning new techniques as a talented makeup artist.
Ryan Dekker | YLC Treasurer & Teen Arthritis and Autoinflammatory Group Chapter Leader
Ryan has been involved with the rheumatic disease community in a number of ways. To begin, he participated in and became an ambassador for the Arthritis Society’s Walk to Fight Arthritis. Following the run, Ryan was a camp counselor and guest speaker at Camp Capilano: an annual summer educational retreat for kids and teens living with Juvenile Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. Most recently, Ryan has been apart of an online mentorship program for kids with arthritis based out of Sick Kids hospital in Toronto. In his free time, Ryan coaches and plays football, practices weight training, and volunteers as the Vice President of the Semiahmoo Rotaract group.
Meghan Jones | YLC Event Coordinator
Emma Hitchcock | YLC Secretary
Emma is currently pursuing an MSc in Genetic Counselling. She first became involved with Cassie + Friends when she was invited to participate on a youth panel at a Family Day event. Emma is excited to be on the YLC to contribute her experience of living with CRMO, a rare rheumatic disease, and the challenges she faced with transitioning from pediatric care to adult care. In her spare time, Emma enjoys playing tennis and going out for breakfast.
As the YLC creates events and workshops for teens and youth, they would love to hear your thoughts on which topics are most important to address. What events and activities do you want to see? Fill out C+F’s Youth Programs Survey!
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