Young Advocate Program
Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s Young Advocate Program provides the tools and training to help young people use their personal breast cancer experience to make a difference in their communities by raising awareness, further their understanding of the disease and advocate for others. This opportunity is geared toward people diagnosed with breast cancer before age 45 who live in the United States.
The most important thing [the training] taught me was that my place in this world is to be involved with education of and support for any young person who has heard that crashing sentence: You have breast cancer.
After the training, Young Advocates are tasked with connecting others to LBBC through grassroots outreach within their community and completing two advocacy related activities within one year. In the past, Young Advocates have spoken at events in their communities, participated in research review boards, raised awareness of young people affected by breast cancer through blog posts and social media outreach, shared LBBC materials with healthcare providers and more.
Applications for the 2025 Young Advocate Program will open in May
Questions? Contact:
Jade Lleonart Adler
Community Engagement Coordinator
610-645-4570 | jlleonart@lbbc.org
Click here to view and/or print the 2025 Young Advocate program flyer.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Young Advocate Program involve?
This year’s Young Advocate Program training will be primarily an in-person training in Philadelphia, PA (with a virtual kick-off session) and is scheduled to take place over the following days:
Live sessions:
- Session 1: Saturday, August 9 – 12:00pm-4:00pm ET (Virtual)
- Session 2: Friday, August 15 – 5:00pm-8:00pm ET (In-Person)
- Sessions 3: Saturday, August 16 – 8:30am-5:30pm ET (In-Person)
- Session 4: Sunday, August 17 – 8:00am-12:30pm ET (In-Person)
Self-paced learning:
- Some aspects of the training include self-paced learning videos and reflection documents. These exercises are foundational to the training and you should expect to dedicate approximately 2 hours to completing them prior to training.
Please note: You must attend all sessions and complete the self-paced learning in order to be trained and activated as a Young Advocate.
Who is eligible for the program?
LBBC is committed to building a cohort that reflects the full diversity of lived experiences and communities impacted by breast cancer.
- People diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 45 who are diagnosed with either early-stage breast cancer or living with metastatic disease.
- People living in the United States or its territories.
Note: It is recommended that when you apply for the Young Advocate program, you are between at least 6-12 months out from either an early stage or a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis.
What will participants do once accepted into the program?
Each participant will be required to complete the following within their volunteer commitment term which runs through August 31, 2026:
- Complete the entire training.
- Work to connect others in their community to LBBC’s programs and services
- Develop and complete at least two individual activities in their community, either virtually or in person
- Connect Healthcare providers to LBBC resources
- Attend at least 3 check-in calls or continuing education webinars during their active term
- Submit activity reports regularly throughout their active term to LBBC
- Receive ongoing technical support from LBBC experts, advocacy leaders, and peer support throughout their active term
Where does the training take place?
Session 1 information:
Session 1 of Young Advocate training on Saturday, August 9 will take place virtually.
Session 2-4 information:
Sessions 2-4 of Young Advocate training from Friday, August 15 to Sunday, August 17 will take place in person in Philadelphia, PA at the Hilton Philadelphia Hotel at Penn's Landing. To participate in Young Advocate training, you must attend Sessions 2-4 in-person. LBBC will provide financial assistance for travel.
What costs does LBBC cover?
Based on your location, LBBC will reserve your shared hotel room for you for 2 nights and assign you a roommate from the Young Advocate Program. This will be 100% covered by LBBC.
If you would like a single room, LBBC will reserve your hotel room for you for 2 nights and you will be responsible for 50% of the total charge upon check-out, which comes to approximately $245 (including taxes). LBBC will cover the other 50%.
Travel stipends will be provided as checks at the conclusion of training at the below levels as stipends based on distance from the hotel. A travel stipend aims to help offset some of the costs of attending the training; however, it most likely will not cover all expenses.
- $75: Those who live between 0-20 miles from the hotel (No hotel room, stipend intended to cover hotel parking and gas).
- $125: Those who live between 21-60 miles from the hotel (Hotel room covered directly by LBBC, stipend intended to cover parking, gas and tolls)
- $250: Those who live more than 61 miles from the hotel and are located in CT, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA, VA, and Washington, D.C. (Hotel room covered directly by LBBC, stipend intended to cover primary travel on various modes of transportation).
- $425: Those who live in all other states in the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska (Hotel room covered directly by LBBC, stipend intended to cover primary travel on various modes of transportation).
Food and beverages are provided during training hours. Includes: Friday dinner; Saturday breakfast, lunch, and snacks; Sunday breakfast and box lunch. All other food and beverages will be at your own expense.
What will I be responsible for paying for?
- Any primary travel expenses not covered by LBBC.
- Any additional travel-related expenses, such as luggage fees, flight change fees, parking fees, travel insurance, etc.
- Any hotel expenses not covered by LBBC.
- Meals, snacks, and beverages that are not included during training hours.
- Rental cars.
- Incidentals charged to your hotel room (including, but not limited to, room service, health club charges, gift shop charges).
How do I make my travel arrangements?
You are responsible for reserving your preferred method of travel to Philadelphia and making all necessary payments upfront. Young Advocates will be reimbursed for their travel expenses after the training is completed on Sunday, August 17, based on the travel stipends outlined above.
LBBC will reserve your hotel room for you for 2 nights.
Additional information will be provided upon acceptance.
How can I share information about this program?
This project is supported by Grant/Cooperative Agreement Number NU58DP007913 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
