Who is ActiveMatch for?
This free online service is available to any woman in Canada who has had a cancer diagnosis (whether newly diagnosed, in treatment, long out of treatment, and/or living with metastatic disease).
How do I get started? How does ActiveMatch work?
- The first step is to sign up online to join ActiveMatch. You will be asked to create a username and password (please don’t use your email as your username, as it will be visible to the other members!) and provide some basic information.
- You’ll then be sent a confirmation email with a link. Click the link to confirm your email address; the link will take you directly to the page(s) where you create your personal profile.
- Creating your profile involves answering a few questions that will help other members get to know you (for example, your current level of activity, favourite activities, etc). Please include a photo — this helps the other women connect with you and feel more comfortable.
- Within 24 hours (likely much sooner) from the time you submit your profile, you will receive an email notification that your profile has been approved. Click the link in the email or visit the login page of the ActiveMatch website to log in with your username and password.
- Once you’ve logged in, you can search for a partner by browsing all profiles or you can limit the profiles you see by age, distance from you (based on postal code), or cancer type/site. Once you have found someone you would like to get to know, send her a message using the purple ‘Message‘ button and she will receive an email notification that you have contacted her.
- Get to know each other and decide together how you want to begin supporting one another (in person or virtually).
If you want more detailed instructions, the video below offers a step-by-step guide to signing up and creating a profile.
Is it easy to register and create a profile?
Yes! The video below offers a step-by-step guide to registering and creating your ActiveMatch profile:
Is this program available across Canada?
Yes it is. We originally targeted Ontario as our starting point for getting the word out about ActiveMatch, so for now, women outside of Ontario might have a harder time finding a match who lives near them (until more women from other communities and provinces / territories join ActiveMatch).
While we work on introducing ActiveMatch to women in other areas, we highly encourage you to connect with a virtual exercise partner (i.e., someone who can offer support via phone, text, email, video call, etc.)
Are you willing to help promote ActiveMatch in your community? Please contact us at activematchwomen@gmail.com
Is ActiveMatch safe and secure? Will all of my personal information be kept private?
ActiveMatch has multiple layers of safety and security (e.g., screening questions to detect fraudulent profiles). ActiveMatch is housed on a secure webspace that requires registration and approval by the ActiveMatch administration team. Personal information will not be visible to people searching the web or non-members. Safeguards are in place to protect confidential information in compliance with all laws and regulations to prevent any unauthorized use or disclosure of data.
As an ActiveMatch member, you have a unique username associated with your profile, so you and other members can reach out to one another through the ActiveMatch messenger system (rather than needing to use your personal email). Your contact information is kept confidential, so it is up to you whether you want to share any personal contact information with your potential exercise partners!
Can I choose which information is displayed on my profile?
Only ActiveMatch members will see your profile. The following information is displayed on your personal profile: Username, age, your ‘About You’ introduction, reasons for wanting an exercise partner, fitness level, fitness motivation, personality, favourite activities, preferred exercise location, top reasons for wanting to be active, cancer type, treatment status, treatment description, and whether you are part of another support group or wellness program. Women identified this information as being helpful / important when choosing an exercise partner.
Information that is NOT displayed or available to any users: Your postal code and date of birth. Your postal code is used to identify your proximity to potential matches, but it won’t be visible as part of your profile.
Do I need to upload a photo to my profile?
ActiveMatch members are not required to upload a photo, but it is highly recommended. Seeing a face on the profile helps tremendously in enabling women to feel safe and secure in connecting with / meeting one another.
How do I update my profile and profile picture?
You can update your profile and picture at any time. Here’s how:
- From www.activematch.ca, click the Login button at the top of your screen.
- Log in with your username and password.
- Click on the My Profile button at the top of screen.
- You will see purple buttons on the right side of the screen.
- Select the Edit My Profile button to change or add to your profile. Save Profile when you are done.
- Select the Upload A Photo button to add a picture or change your picture.
How do I connect with someone / find a match?
When you log in, you will see a display of all the profiles in the system. You can use the filtering system to enter criteria (e.g., age). When you click “Search”, ActiveMatch will generate a list of possible matches. Click the name of the woman whose profile you want to see in more detail.
If it seems like they might be a good exercise partner match for you, click “Message” to send a private message to that member! The member will get an email letting her know that someone from ActiveMatch has messaged her. You can continue to message each other through the system (or exchange contact info) and then decide together how to get started.
I’ve found a match – How can we support one another?
ActiveMatch partners connect in lots of different ways, including:
- Exchanging numbers and texting each other
- Connecting over the phone (e.g., to strategize about building more exercise into their days)
- Meeting up to go for walks
- Finding new activities that they can try together
- Sharing exercise tips and strategies they’ve found helpful
- Locating and signing up for online classes or a structured exercise program (see a list of examples on our exercise resources page)
What if I don’t see anyone who would be a good fit for me?
We are working to promote ActiveMatch to as many women as possible so that you can find your ideal match. The more women that sign up, the more choices there will be. If you cannot find a match, we encourage you to broaden your search criteria (e.g., increase age range and/or distance from you).
If you cannot find anyone that lives nearby, we recommended connecting with someone as virtual exercise partner who can offer support and encouragement over the phone, through emails, and/or by text. Having a virtual exercise partner can help keep you accountable to your exercise plans!
What if I message someone and they don’t message back?
We’re sorry to hear that you’ve been kept wondering / waiting. The member(s) you messaged might have missed the email notification that they have a new ActiveMatch message waiting for them (sometimes the notifications get filtered out of members’ email inboxes). We hope you’ll get a reply from the member soon, but if it’s been a while and you haven’t heard back, please consider messaging someone else (i.e., another potential match) too.
If you have tried to connect with several members and haven’t heard anything back, please send us a note at activematchwomen@gmail.com and we’ll try to help.
What if I want to exercise with more than one woman?
Great! If you want to put together a [virtual] exercise group, we encourage that too. You can message as many women as you want through the system and when you are ready, you can exchange emails and other contact information and form your group.
Is ActiveMatch available in other languages?
The ActiveMatch system is currently available only in English, but if you speak a language other than English and would like to find an exercise partner that speaks that same language, we encourage you to indicate that in the ‘About Me’ section of your ActiveMatch profile (e.g., write your ‘About Me’ description in your preferred language!)
TIP: If your ‘About Me’ description is in a language other than English, be sure to include your description in English too if you would be interested in connecting with an English-speaking exercise partner.
What about if someone messages me in a way that’s inappropriate?
Please report any issues immediately to activematchwomen@gmail.com and we will take the appropriate steps to contact and remove the user from the system. You can also go to a profile and click “Report Offensive Profile” and we will receive this notification immediately.
I had an ActiveMatch account, but now I’m having trouble logging in. What do I do?
Our login page has ‘forgot your username’ and ‘forgot your password’ options. If that doesn’t work (and you’ve checked your junk folder in case the email notification went there!), please contact us activematchwomen@gmail.com
Does ActiveMatch provide suggested exercises?
ActiveMatch is focused on helping you to find an exercise partner rather than suggesting specific exercises (we respect that our members have different preferences, experiences, and goals when it comes to exercise). That said, we get that it can be tricky to know where to start, so we have developed an exercise resources page for you. Check it out to see exercise-related tips and links to exercise programs near you.
I still have a question! Who do I contact?
If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact activematchwomen@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you!