If you’ve been on Livewire a while, you might have heard members or the chat hosts refer to ChIPS. We mention it a lot because ChIPS is really awesome, and we think they do great work!
ChIPS stands for Chronic Illness Peer Support. ChIPS runs in both Sydney and Melbourne, and each location runs a bit differently.
Melbourne ChIPS is a support group for people aged 12-25 who have a chronic illness, and are ready and willing to talk about it with their peers. ChIPS runs things like camps with medical professionals in attendance so you can go away worry-free, social get togethers, and leadership training.
Every member of ChIPS takes part in an eight week or intensive group program, where they get to meet other people who understand what it’s like to live with a chronic illness and share their experiences and challenges using discussion, music, art and other group activities.
Melbourne ChIPS is run by both a dedicated team of cool peeps at the RCH, but also by the ChIPS Reference Committee. Ref Com is made up of young people who meet monthly and they decide what happens in ChIPS; from organising fundraising events and developing promotional material, to planning the January ChIPS camp and providing feedback and ideas for all ChIPS activities.
You can check out more info on ChIPS Melbourne in their 2018 ChIPS Brochure (click that link to download it!). They’ve also given us a downloadable copy of the ChIPS magazine ChIPS Wrapper 2018. You can also get info on the RCH website, or by getting in touch with Chips directly on (03) 9345 6616.
More info on Sydney ChIPS coming soon!
Are you a ChIPS member? Have any awesome stories to tell? Log in or sign up to let us know