Shivering against the chill of circulated air, I tuck the edges of my sweater around me and force my eyelids to remain open. While the stranger beside me snores with abandon, I calculate the time at my destination and attempt to pretend I’m already there. Act as if I’ve already adjusted to the flip from day to night, the journey from west to east. Soon, men and women from the four corners of North America will board flights to India and I want to be rested and ready to introduce them to the pulsing beauty of New Delhi with all of its grit and charm.

As we prepare for our fourth program in India, I’m excited to share the press release below announcing the expansion of our Odyssey Program Framework. I couldn’t be more grateful to the tribe of people who continue to make this audacious dream a reality.

Los Angeles, CA – March 2, 2016 – A Fresh Chapter Alliance Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to healing the emotional scars of cancer through volunteering, meaningful travel and programs designed to reframe adversity and redefine what is possible, today announced the expansion of its Odyssey Program framework. The new framework, incorporating a curated collection of tools, support and additional resources, expands upon the original Odyssey volunteer travel program and allows participants to more fully integrate the benefits of the program into their lives.

“The expanded Odyssey Program framework acts as an inspirational road map to help participants navigate the complex emotional scars of cancer as they build strength and renew their sense of purpose,” said Terri Wingham, founder and executive director of A Fresh Chapter. “This framework will empower our participants to play an active role in envisioning how they choose to step forward into a meaningful next phase of life.”

The participants for the soon-to-start India Odyssey program (March 5-19, 2016) will be piloting the new framework and will share valuable participant feedback after each phase. This feedback will be incorporated into future programs, including the upcoming domestic Elemental Odyssey Program (April 24 – May 1, 2016) and the upcoming Peru Odyssey program (October 15-29, 2016). Both of these programs are still open to new applicants. To find out more, visit https://afreshchapter.com/our-programs.

The new Fresh Chapter Odyssey Program framework includes four phases – each designed to support participants before, during and after their transformational volunteer travel experience.

The four phases include:

• Discover Phase – a four week pre-travel series designed to open participants to new perspectives
• Experience Phase – a one or two-week volunteer travel experience designed to connect participants to inspiring volunteer projects, people who can relate to what they have been through, and a unique opportunity to reframe adversity and reimagine the next chapter of their lives
• Integrate Phase – a three-week reintegration series designed to bring knowledge and restore purpose and possibility into participants’ lives
• Ignite Phase – a twelve-week (optional) post-trip series designed to help participants build a road map for their own fresh chapter experience

The Odyssey program framework is customizable and can be scaled up or down based on an individual participant’s unique needs and personal bandwidth.

“Cancer impacts everyone differently and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to healing,” said Wingham. “A Fresh Chapter’s greatest hope is to help participants understand that even after the trauma of cancer, they still have incredible value they can offer the world. Although cancer is part of their story now, it’s far from the whole story and we want to help them feel a renewed sense of connection to themselves, their families, and their communities.”

About A Fresh Chapter Alliance Foundation

A Fresh Chapter Alliance Foundation heals the emotional scars of cancer by blending meaningful volunteer travel with programs designed to reframe adversity, foster connections, and promote personal growth and development. We empower men and women who have been impacted by cancer – either as a patient or a caregiver – to expand their stories beyond the disease while giving back to communities at home and abroad. Audacious and hopeful, A Fresh Chapter transforms the adversity of cancer into an opportunity for people to accelerate post-traumatic growth and create a exponential ripple of good in the world. A Fresh Chapter Alliance Foundation is a federally registered Canadian non-profit with 501(c)(3) status in the U.S. as a project of Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE), a registered public charity. www.afreshchapter.com