YARN - EUREGHA

August 5, 2025

Funding programme: EU4Health

Call: EU4H-2024-PJ-02-4

Project coordinator: Fundatia Youth Cancer Europe (YCE), Romania

Partners:

Childhood Cancer International (CCI) – Netherlands
Pagalbos Onkologiniams Ligoniams Asociacija (POLA) – Lithuania
CEIPES – Italy
Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro – Portugal
Universidad de Cádiz – Spain
Europa Donna Slovensko – Slovenia
Universitatea Babes Bolyai – Romania
EUREGHA – Belgium
Prinses Máxima Centrum voor Kinderoncologie (PMC) – Netherlands
PanCare – Netherlands
Medizinische Universität Wien – Austria
Fundacja Na Ratunek Dzieciom z Choroba Nowotworowa – Poland
Elliniki Antikarkiniki Etaireia – Greece
SIOP Europe – Belgium
European Oncology Nursing Society (EONS) – Belgium
Inspiration Family (CF IF) – Ukraine
European Cancer Organisation (ECO) – Belgium
Fundació Sant Joan de Déu (FSJD) – Spain
Hospital Sant Joan de Déu (affiliated entity) – Spain

Role of EUREGHA: Policy and regional stakeholder engagement in adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer care

Total budget: €6,242,805.86
EUREGHA budget: €29,029.53
Starting Date: 1 July 2025
Duration: 36 months

About YARN

YARN – European Youth Cancer Network – is a flagship EU4Health action grant that builds upon the EU-CAYAS-NET and OACCUs projects to expand and sustain a strong, inclusive EU-wide network of young people affected by cancer. YARN empowers youth through structured peer support, digital tools, training, and leadership development to improve psychosocial care, education and career pathways, and survivorship for adolescents and young adults (AYA) across Europe.

Central to the project is the Youth Cancer Council, a governance body of 100 young people with lived experience, ensuring co-design and policy relevance. The initiative also champions equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), develops a digital multilingual platform, and promotes healthy lifestyles and mental health support.

YARN will engage over 50 million people across Europe through outreach campaigns, podcasts, events, and training — including the ACE Academy for patient advocates — while also delivering new resources and evidence-based guidelines on long-term follow-up and survivorship.

Goals And Objectives

Strengthen and expand the European Youth Cancer Network.
Promote youth leadership in cancer policy and service design.
Develop digital and in-person peer-support platforms.
Implement psychosocial, mental health, education, and career support standards.
Improve follow-up care, transition, and survivorship resources for AYA.
Foster EDI in cancer care settings via checklists and certification systems.
Promote physical and mental well-being through tailored health programmes.

Work Packages and Key Activities

YARN is structured into 8 work packages:

WP1: Network Management
– Coordination, quality assurance, Youth Cancer Council leadership, and impact assessment.

WP2: Mental Health, Psychosocial Care, Education & Career Support
– Implementation of psychosocial standards, peer support, and career reintegration tools.

WP3: Long-Term Follow-Up and Transition of Care
– Guidelines and resources for survivorship and follow-up care for young people with cancer.

WP4: Care for AYA Facing Side Effects, Relapse, and Metastatic Cancer
– Creation of multilingual digital resources and support tools.

WP5: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)
– Inclusivity checklist, certification framework, and policy recommendations.

WP6: Healthy Lifestyles
– Exercise programmes and bootcamps for cancer survivors.

WP7: Communication, Dissemination, Education, and Events
– Outreach to 50 million citizens via media, events, and publications.

WP8: Digital Platform
– Expansion and sustainability of the YARN digital platform for youth-focused cancer resources.

Our Contribution

As a partner in WP5 and WP7, EUREGHA is responsible for:

Promoting engagement of regional and local health authorities in cancer survivorship policies.
Facilitating knowledge exchange and integration of YARN results into regional planning.
Supporting dissemination of inclusive care models across EU regions.
Contributing to EDI policy development and advocacy in cancer care.

Through its network of regional and local health authorities, EUREGHA plays a pivotal role in ensuring YARN’s outputs lead to lasting systemic impact at territorial level.