Little Fighters are a special group of patients. Very often, the disease forces them to limit contact with their peers and prevents them from continuing their education on an inpatient basis. But it is the school that can do a lot to show support for its student. How to get children involved in helping their classmates? One suggestion is to raise money at school for charity. Check out how to help students undergoing cancer treatment.

How to talk to the class about the illness of a colleague or friend?

The news of a colleague's or friend's illness affects the entire class and its teachers. And while the focus of attention is on the brave Warrior or Warrioress, the support of peers concerned about his or her health should not be forgotten. One of the key moments is communicating the sick person's condition to the class. How to talk to the class about the illness of a colleague or friend?

• First of all, you need to make sure that it happens in the right conditions. A quiet place, no rush. In the case of the youngest students, it is worth considering the presence of their parents at the meeting.
• If possible, the course of the conversation is best agreed with the patient and his family. Perhaps they will also want to participate in the meeting or point out something important to them?
• Children's and adults' emotions should be taken care of by a school psychologist or a specialist invited by the school.
• Each child may react differently to news of a peer's illness. Some students will need time to get used to the information and only after a few days have passed will they express a desire to talk to a parent, teacher or psychologist to ask questions that bother them. Care should be taken to ensure that they can receive appropriate support at any time.
• In addition to providing information about your peer's illness and treatment, it is also worth talking about how you can help him. It is also important to support the families of cancer patients, in this case, for example, to help organize remote education for the sick student or to help the school psychologist.

The news of a student's illness is a sad moment. That's why it's such an important part of the conversation to emphasize the role of class integration - together they can help a peer fight cancer. Their action matters throughout the patient's treatment process. Starting with emotional support, ending with financial support, possible through, among other things, charity collections at school.

How can a school help a sick child?

Support for a sick student at school should be tailored to the current needs of the little Fighter. Fighting cancer is not only a moment of fear for many patients, but also often a sense of loneliness. Especially if the child has to stay in isolation or spends a lot of time in the hospital. Helping students with cancer is all about emotional support from peers and teachers at school.

How to support an emotionally ill student?

Visiting a sick person at home or in the hospital is not always possible. However, the student's class and teachers can support the student in many ways. One of them is to write cards/letters to a friend or colleague. For younger students, letters can successfully replace drawings.

If possible, it's a good idea to record a video greeting for the patient, tell him about what's currently going on at school and assure him that everyone is looking forward to seeing him. Cancer treatment is a process, as is providing support to the patient. It's important that cards, drawings or recordings reach the student regularly.

How can a school help a sick child financially?

Oncology treatment involves expenses for medication, rehabilitation or travel to specialists. School establishments can make a contribution and financially support a student and his family in their fight against the disease. Every contribution, even the smallest, makes a difference. What does financial support for students with cancer look like? One way is to donate 1.5% of the tax in the PIT return parents of students, teachers. Charity events in kindergarten and school will also be a good option, and it's also worth considering fundraisers at students' parents' workplaces. Of course, their organization involves following a few rules.

How do you organize a collection at school? Check if you need to report it on the government website

Charity collections at school are the most popular way to raise money for a sick student, and at the same time an opportunity to integrate the community. What should you keep in mind when organizing a charity event? Before determining its form and purpose, pay attention to the nature of the collection itself. Here the key will be to distinguish between public and non-public collections.

A public collection is a collection in the form of cash or offerings in kind, conducted in a public place, for a purpose from the sphere of public tasks. Such a collection requires notification on the government gov.pl website and a report upon completion.

Is a charity collection at school a public collection?

A charity collection at a school is not a public collection and does not need to be reported on the government website, as long as:

• collection is carried out with the approval of school authorities,
• The collection is carried out on school grounds,
• The collection is conducted among schoolchildren and teachers.

As we have already mentioned, fundraising at school for charitable purposes can be extended to collections at the workplaces of students' parents. Such college collections at the workplace are also not considered public collections. The case is similar for online collections.

Check: cancer relief campaigns.

How to organize a charity fair at school?

A student in your class needs financial support for treatment? First of all, arrange a meeting with the authorities of the institution to get permission to hold a charity event. Together with the management and the patient's class, determine the form, date and purpose of the event.

The next step is to inform the other students and teachers of the school about the planned collection. The children in the class of the patient can make posters that they will hang on the bulletin boards in the school. It will be a good idea to give the news about the charity event at the school assembly, during interviews, during lessons, through the radio station. It's a good idea to post information about the event on the school's website and social media profiles.

How to involve children in helping their colleagues?

Children should take an active part in each stage of the charity event. They will feel that their actions have a meaning and impact on the success of the collection. Their tasks may include the promotion of the collection (posters, social media) and the preparation of the event itself in cooperation with adults.

Ideas for a school charity event

Until recently, the organization of a charity event at school most often consisted of collecting plastic bottle caps. Today, this type of activity is severely limited. Fortunately, we have ways to replace them. Charity collections at school can take the form of, among other things: ticketed concerts and performances prepared by students, a fair of baked goods and handicrafts, auctioning off items and services.

Check out: charity fundraising ideas. How to increase effectiveness and reach?

Sometimes a fundraiser at a school for charity is not feasible. The reason may be, for example, the patient's health condition and the need for quick treatment and equally quick fundraising. In this case, helping students with cancer can take a different form. Most cancer patients are under the care of oncology foundations, which conduct collections for cancer patients. If a sick student has an official online collection, his peers and teachers can directly donate to a designated account and take part in promoting the collection in the media.

Support for a sick student at school - selfless help and the joy of helping

Any support of a sick person, whether it's a charity collection at school or writing a letter, not only affects the little Fighter's well-being, but also the people involved in helping him. Children, their parents and teachers build a bond - teamwork strengthens their sense of solidarity. Selfless help is the best form of learning empathy. Ideas for a school charity event help stimulate students' creativity, as does creating handicrafts or organizing performances. Finally, it is worth mentioning the sheer joy of helping. Each of us will feel warmth on our heart, seeing a smile on a child's face. And that's what it's all about - we need each other.