We believe community grows when people feel welcomed, respected, and free to show up as themselves. Whether you’re here to make art, share your story, find connection, or simply spend time with people who get it, you have a place in the Cactus Crew. Our House Cactus Agreements help us create a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive environment where everyone can connect, cope, and thrive together.
House Cactus Agreements
- Keep Your Camera On
Seeing one another helps us build connection and community, even from miles apart. We ask participants to keep their cameras on during programs whenever possible. We understand that this may not always be feasible due to health, accessibility, privacy, or other personal circumstances. Exceptions are welcome, and we encourage you to connect with our team if you need flexibility!
- Participate Your Way
Whether you’re sharing aloud, creating, listening, or using the virtual chat and reactions, we encourage you to engage in ways that feel comfortable. The best part of our programs is the young adult participants who bring them to life!
- Make Room, Take Room
We invite you to take up space by sharing your thoughts and experiences while making space for others to do the same. In our virtual groups, a little pause between speakers and attention to the chat can help everyone feel included.
- Minimize Distractions
When possible, find a comfortable space, silence notifications, and limit distractions so you can enjoy your time in community and creativity. We also know that life happens! Whether you’re joining from a hospital room, an infusion chair, or while juggling other responsibilities, we’re glad you’re here. We simply ask that you be as present as your circumstances allow.
- Create Without Comparison
Creativity belongs to everyone, regardless of experience or skill level. Our programs celebrate the creative process over the finished product. Experiment, make mistakes, try something new, and appreciate what others create without comparing your work to theirs. We encourage courageous creativity in all our spaces.
- Observe the Vegas Rule
What happens in the group stays in the group! Respect the privacy of fellow participants by keeping personal stories, identities, and experiences shared during programs confidential. If others might overhear your session, we strongly encourage you to use headphones to help protect everyone’s privacy. Screenshots, photographs, and recordings are not permitted without express permission from both Cactus Cancer Society and everyone involved. These shared commitments help us make space for the real stuff.
- Grow With Kindness
Our Cactus Crew includes young adults with different backgrounds, identities, beliefs, and lived experiences all across the country. We encourage everyone to approach one another with curiosity, compassion, and respect, even when our perspectives differ.
Discrimination, harassment, bullying, and harmful behavior have no place in our community.
Everyone Belongs in the Cactus Crew
We celebrate the diversity of our community and welcome young adult cancer patients, thrivers, survivors, cosurvivors, and caregivers of all races, ethnicities, religions, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and backgrounds.
- Pronouns: We invite you to share your pronouns when introducing yourself or include them in your Zoom display name if you feel comfortable doing so.
- Accessibility: If captions, audio descriptions, additional response time, or other accommodations would support your participation, please let us know.
- Personal Boundaries: You always have a choice about what you share in group. We encourage honest expression while respecting your own comfort and the privacy of others.
Attendance Policy for Programs with Mailed Supplies
We love sending creative goodies your way! For programs like Art Workshops and Creative Arts Book Club, Cactus Cancer Society mails all supplies at no cost. Because supplies and spaces are limited, registration is a commitment to attend, participate, and stay for the full session. Participants arriving more than 15 minutes late will not be admitted. For multi-week programs, we ask that you plan to attend all sessions.
If your plans change, please let us know as soon as possible. Participants who register but do not attend without notifying Cactus Cancer Society will be unable to participate in the next eligible program they register for, but are welcome to join future programs after that!
We know life with cancer can be unpredictable, and we strive to balance flexibility with our commitment to making programs accessible to as many young adults as possible. That’s why we also offer drop-in programs, where you’re welcome to join whenever your schedule and capacity allow, with no attendance commitment!
Keeping Our Community Welcoming
Our staff and facilitators are here to help uphold these agreements. If something happens during a program that makes you uncomfortable or concerned, we encourage you to reach out to a Cactus Cancer Society team member.
Got questions or concerns? Reach out to us at programs@cactuscancer.org