What is YARN?
What is YARN?
YARN – the European Youth Cancer Network – is an ambitious, EU co-funded initiative bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders: young people with cancer experience, healthcare professionals, psychosocial care specialists, policy-makers, researchers, and patient organisations.
Spanning 25 EU Member States and 3 eligible neighbouring countries, and delivered by 19 Beneficiaries, 1 Affiliated Entity, and 39 Associated Partners, YARN is the largest multi-stakeholder, lived experience-driven effort of its kind in Europe to improve quality of life for children, adolescents, and young adults affected by cancer.
Youth-Led, Policy-Focused: The Youth Cancer Council
Youth-Led, Policy-Focused: The Youth Cancer Council
At the core of YARN is the Youth Cancer Council — a pan-European advisory group made up of 100 young people with lived experience of cancer.
The Council plays an active role in decision-making, consultation, and design across the entire project. By embedding lived experience at every level, YARN ensures that youth voices are not just heard but are shaping the systems that affect them.
The Advocacy, Communication & Engagement (ACE) Academy is the first EU-funded training programme specifically dedicated to preparing young people to become advocates for better cancer care.
Through two training cohorts, 100 youth advocates will be equipped with the skills needed to:
- Engage in national and EU-level policy
- Advocate for their rights in healthcare settings
- Mobilise communities and shape future services
The Advocacy, Communication & Engagement (ACE) Academy is the first EU-funded training programme specifically dedicated to preparing young people to become advocates for better cancer care.
Through two training cohorts, 100 youth advocates will be equipped with the skills needed to:
- Engage in national and EU-level policy
- Advocate for their rights in healthcare settings
- Mobilise communities and shape future services
Key areas of focus include:
- Peer support and social networking
- Mental health and psychosocial standards
- Education and career reintegration
- Relapse, metastatic cancer, and late effects
- Healthy lifestyles and personalised rehabilitation
- Long-term follow-up and transition of care
- Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in healthcare and patient organisations
YARN also delivers:
- Frameworks for EDI certification in healthcare and patient organisations
- Personalised tools for long-term follow-up and end-of-life planning
- Evidence-based standards for mental health and shared decision-making
- Training of both youth advocates and healthcare professionals
- Public awareness campaigns through festivals, media, and influencer engagement
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