Connect acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land in Australia. We also acknowledge the First Nations peoples of Aotearoa, New Zealand.

We pay respect to Elders past, present and future. We are committed to providing inclusive and appropriate support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Māori and Pasifika young people, their kin and community.

Hello, Kia Ora!

Welcome to Connect! We’re really glad you're part of this community of amazing young people.

As part of being here, we think it’s important to let you know what we value: safety, privacy, respect and support.

The first one: safety. We want to make sure that when you're part of this community, you feel safe here, as well as providing safety to others. To show up here fully, and be supported fully too.

This space is available to a wide range of people in different places, ages and situations. So, if you see something that feels offensive or inappropriate in a discussion or in private message - you can report it, or block it. You can also ask staff to help though email: online@canteen.org.au

And a little note here for our 12- to 15-year-old users… in order to keep everyone safe here, you won’t be able to use the private message function until your 16th birthday. The exception is that you can message Admin accounts, like @ConnectStaffAU. You can still post in discussions, and we encourage you to register for Connect events so you can meet others that way too!

Know that this community is also moderated by our Connect staff. We may add a content advisory, or even edit or delete a post if something could be harmful or disrespectful to others… but we would always contact the poster to let them know why we I have made changes. You have control of what you write; and if you are posting something that you think is more mature, you can choose this toggle the ‘Age Sensitive button’ to make it only viewable by the 16 plus members of our community.

We also value privacy. It's important that you're mindful of this as you show up on Connect. Think about the username and photo that you use, so that it’s not traceable to you directly, or similar to other sites;  and don't mention your local services or locations by name. While you may wish to share your story here, it’s about balance – your privacy has a value. If you have questions about Canteen’s privacy policy, you can also access that through here

Connect is a respectful community. It's been created so that people with a diverse range of cancer and life experiences can have their say. That means that you may encounter beliefs, opinions or experiences that are different to your own, and that's okay. In fact, it's these differences that help us grow, and become more aware of what our own story is. We want you to have pride in your culture, faith, ability, sexuality, gender identity... and encourage you to show up as an ally in this space too.

Of course we value support. Community exists so that no one has to feel alone going through a difficult time, and no one has to feel alone when they need to celebrate big and little wins too! You’ll find a list of the different ways you or someone you are concerned about can access immediate support through our Get Help Now page; and if you’d like more information on how you can access support for your own cancer journey just email us using the Contact Us form (this is found in the footer on web under the heading 'Contact Us', or in the menu if you're using the app).

Lastly, if you love Connect, share these values, want to give feedback, and be a leader in this space… we want to hear from you! Send us an email an introduce yourself here: online@canteen.org.au