The mandate of the NWT Breast Health/Breast Cancer Action Group (Action Group) is to:

-raise breast health awareness and breast cancer concerns with the public and healthcare providers in the NWT;

-provide information and support concerning breast health to the public and healthcare providers;

-provide information and support services to those experiencing a cancer diagnosis, families and healthcare providers.

We began as a working group in 1996 and have been a registered charity and non-profit society since 2004 in the NWT. The Action Group has an active volunteer board of 12 people and a small donated office in Yellowknife.

Our projects to raise breast health awareness include: the Breast Health and Healthy Living workshop kit and awareness materials that are used by frontline health workers in all NWT communities; training for Community Health Reps to facilitate the workshop; and the Caring For Yourself breast health booklet; have sat on NWT working groups for breast screening and were a partner with the Department of Health and Social Services in developing the NWT Cancer Strategy in 2015.  

To support people affected by cancer: Action Group provides one-on-one peer support with trained volunteers who have also experienced a cancer diagnosis; offer regular cancer peer support programming, like traditional medicine walks or healthy cooking classes to alleviate treatment side effects; hold NWT cancer survivors retreat almost every year since 2000, funding permitting; piloted and facilitated the Art of Healing program for breast/other cancer survivors; produced the video Breast Cancer: Northern Women Share Their Journeys; develop and piloted Living the Journey Project in Fort Good Hope and Fort Smith (2015-2018) which resulted in survivor care plans and enhanced community support in order to increase wellness and quality of life for men and women living with cancer; the resulting cancer survivor care plans have been adopted by NWTHSSA; delivered breast cancer peer support training for women from across the NWT in February 2017.

The Action Group is currently working, in partnership with the University of Sydney (Australia), to develop a supportive text message program, called Text Me Healthy (EMPOWER NWT) that will be available NWT-wide for 5 cancer groups.

We maintain a website and Facebook page with information and resources.

All these projects and programs depend on raising funds from other sources.  Cancer is the leading cause of death in the NWT and we CAN make a difference right here.  Help us help cancer patients.