By CSULB Bateman Team
Each year, nearly 90,000 adolescents and young adults ages 15 to 39 years are diagnosed with cancer; and lymphoma, the most common type of blood cancer, accounts for nearly 1-in-5 cancer diagnoses among young people. Five California State University, Long Beach, students and women of color are working together as part of a national public relations competition to help raise awareness about lymphoma among adolescents and young adults in the Long Beach community.
Adolescents and young adults often dismiss early warning signs and potential symptoms of lymphoma and delay seeking medical attention, in part because many of the symptoms and signs are also associated with normal body changes that are common at this age. The student-led team saw this as an opportunity to educate adolescents and young adults about Lymphoma, teach them how to keep track of their health and let them know how to spot early warning signs.
From having a Lymphoma101 workshop with Lymphoma charities, to teaming up with local restaurants with nutritious guidelines, Lymphoma101 strives to educate the long beach community about all aspects about lymphoma, including life after being in remission. The team is even writing and self-publishing a cookbook to aid Long Beach’s lymphoma community with everyday nutritional guidelines. Inspired by the artwork around Downtown Long Beach, Lymphoma101 is also hosting an art therapy workshop and spreading awareness of the campaign on local art galleries. Lymphoma101’s kick-off events will be a virtual Healthy Roundtable on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2021 at 6 p.m. and an in-person art therapy workshop on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2021 at 11-12 p.m.
Lymphoma101 is a month-long campaign dedicated to providing the Long Beach community with information and resources for those diagnosed with lymphoma and families of adolescents and young adults. The campaign, which ends on March 11, 2022, will feature virtual and in-person local events designed to promote healthy practices and educate the long beach community of how lymphoma affects adolescents and young adults.
“I felt moved to join this campaign because after the last few years, I realized how important it is to educate yourself about your health,” said Trinity Beasley, team leader of Lymphoma101. “The Bateman competition gave us a great opportunity to inform the community about lymphoma, bring to light resources for those affected and show the community how they can support and help out.”
Lymphoma101 is a part of the 2022 Bateman Case Studies Competition. The Bateman Competition is the Public Relations Student Society of America's premier national case study competition for public relations students, giving them the opportunity to apply classroom education and internship experiences to create and implement a full public relations campaign for a non-profit organization. This year’s client is the Lymphoma Research Foundation.
Historically, California State University, Long Beach’s Bateman competition teams have been a top contender throughout the recent years. Competing against 54 universities across the nation, in 2021, Long Beach’s Bateman team won first place with their campaign CivilityLB with the purpose of reversing the corrosion of civility in American life and fostering more constructive and inclusive public discourse.
“For me, Lymphoma101 is more than just a school campaign,” said Beasley. “This is our chance to help Long Beach open up about important health topics when we need it the most.”
ABOUT Lymphoma101
Lymphoma101 is an educational campaign led by students from California State University, Long Beach that aims to raise awareness on the topic of lymphoma amongst adolescents and young adults. Lymphoma101 was created as part of the 2022 Bateman Case Study Competition, hosted by the Public Relations Student Society of America. The Bateman competition gives students the opportunity to research, plan and implement a campaign for a non-profit client. This year's client is the Lymphoma Research Foundation.
