Become a member
If you wish to be kept in touch with our activities, or to show support for what we do, you can become a member. The subscription from January 2022 is 15€ per year and provides for the insurance that covers your participation in our activities. You have to be a member to take on any other role in the association.
Train as an Active Listener
To be an Active Listener involves specific skills as well as a natural sympathy. It involves giving another person the opportunity to air their feelings, and any input from the AL has to be to encourage their client to talk through their concerns and to help them arrive at their own solutions rather than offering any advice.
If you would like further information about becoming an Active Listener, Contact Us.
Help with language support
We are receiving more and more requests for language support for cancer patients at hospital appointments, and therefore we are always keen to hear from you if you have good French and the time to accompany people.
Because of the sensitive nature of the task and the fact that they are coming into contact with medical staff and representing the association, our language supporters also receive a short course of training.
Be an ambassador
We are looking for members who would be willing to act as our ambassadors in and around their communities. Their role would be to spread the word about us, distributing leaflets, posters and cards to doctors, groups of English people, shops etc to promote awareness of our activities.
Help with fundraising
We do a limited amount of fund-raising to simply cover our immediate needs and training. We run a small number of events over the year (see Diary) which you may like to help with. There is also an Awareness Week (the last week of September) when you might like to run a coffee morning, a lunch, or a similar local event to raise local awareness and a small amount of money. Our needs are relatively modest, training being the largest item of expenditure in our budget. We do not fundraise for any third parties.
The role of an Active Listener
With thanks to CSF Gascony for permission to use the wording of the Role of an Active Listener
An Active listener (AL) is a volunteer who has undergone agreed formal national training by CSF.
What he or she provides is free confidential support to a person or family member affected by cancer.
The service is offered to all English speaking people by English speaking people in France.
The Role includes:
- Providing an introduction about the scope and definition of the service to the client
- Providing a confidential listening service to the client
- Having the ability to put the client at ease to enable them to discuss their issues or concerns
- Being receptive to the client’s needs
- Being able to listen and not give advice
- Providing further information as required by the client
- Reassuring the client
- Empowering the client to resolve any issues
- Having a full understanding of one’s own limitations and boundaries
- Having a non judgemental approach to the support of the client
What is not included:
- The provision of medical or financial advice
- Taking ownership of a client’s problems
- Asking personal questions
- Being judgemental
- Providing opinions or own views
- Counselling
What benefits can you also get from being an AL:
- A sense of reward through helping others
- The sharing of someone else’s experiences
- Seeing a client being helped
- Developing personal skills
- Skills learnt from being an Active Listener can also benefit you in your personal life as you become more effective in communicating with those around you
- Being offered individual or group support in a safe environment