In April of last year, the Prevent Cancer Foundation invited past grant recipients to apply for the 2023 round of funding. The SCI applied for the new grant and was awarded $25,000 to create a Community Ambassadors for Skin Cancer Prevention program. This program will teach community members about skin cancer and ways to be sun safe, while also training them to deliver these messages to others within the community. The SCI’s goal is to “spread the word” on how dangerous sun exposure and skin cancer can be, and to create a healthier community.
The curriculum for the sun safety training already exists. In 2010, experts in skin cancer, health education and adolescent education developed a curriculum to raise awareness in youth and teens that too much ultraviolet radiation (UVR) causes skin damage and in some cases, skin cancer. The program is known as Project SASS (Students Are Sun Safe) and is offered as an undergraduate and graduate course at the University of Arizona. This program has been successfully teaching our youth how to keep their skin healthy for over a decade.
Participants in this new pilot program will work with the SCI staff and university students during the training.
Watch our short video on the project here.