Guest blog by Stacey Berisavac

A team of Canadian Cancer Society volunteers and The Burnadettes, ‘Scarlett and Burnie’, recently visited Kitsilano beach in Vancouver to raise awareness about the dangers of tanning. These show stopping comedians helped us spread the message that “Tanning is Out” to beach goers attending the BC Open volleyball tournament. While the characters were funny the issue is serious. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Canada and is mostly preventable. In 2011 it is estimated that 74,100 new cases are expected in Canada. In British Columbia, melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer – is the sixth most common cancer in both men and women.

We know that up to one-half of cancers are preventable and that there are many things we can do in our lives everyday to reduce our risks including limiting exposure to the dangers of Ultra Violet Radiation (UVR). The Tanning is Out campaign was developed to help address this risk. A prevention based initiative, the goal is to encourage youth to pledge to forgo tanning both indoors and outdoors and influence behaviour change. It began as a pilot project, and this past spring we launched our first ever Tan-Free Grad campagin in over 20 highschools throughout BC where over 3000 students took the tan free pledge. Our summer campaign is well underway and our Tanning is Out volunteer ambassador teams are attending a variety of festivals and events to help people enjoy the sun safely and spread the tan free message. To find out more or to pledge to be tan free this summer please visit cancergameplan.ca and like “Tanning is Out” on facebook.

About the contributor:
Stacey Berisavac is a Health Promotion Team Leader in the Greater Vancouver Region of the Canadian Cancer Society. As a part our of Cancer Prevention team she works to stop cancer before it starts through a combination of education, advocating for healthy public policy change, and creating action and positive change in communities.