Sign up for an upcoming Climb the Hill advocacy day.

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After applying, Jenn will schedule an introductory virtual meeting with you.

During this meeting, Jenn will:

• Learn about your experience with pediatric cancer

• Explain how Climb the Hill works

• Answer your questions

• Ensure that you feel prepared and confident

• If participating is your parent’s idea and you are not so interested, Jenn will recommend that you wait and try again next year.

• If you are not a patient, survivor or sibling, Jenn will do everything she can to include you. However, at times there are not enough positions for those who are not patients, survivors and siblings.

Before your meetings begin, we will train you on:

• How to lead a professional meetingHow Congress works

• How to share your personal story

• How a bill becomes a law

• Current pediatric cancer legislation before Congress

You do not need prior advocacy experience. We prepare you every step of the way.

Youth advocates are placed into small groups led by experienced Youth Leaders. You'll receive a schedule, a Capitol Hill map, and support from your team.

You will start the day at 8:30 am. At lunch, you will go to a Congressional cafeteria with your group. We will meet you at around 3:30, at the end of your day.

Virtual Zoom Meetings

If participating virtually, you sign up for the meetings you can attend, meet your Youth Leader online, and join meetings with Congressional staff and lawmakers.

Parents, teachers, and staff step away during the meetings so youth advocates can lead the conversation themselves.

You are already an expert. Members of Congress want to understand what pediatric cancer is really like from someone who has lived it.

You can talk about:

• Hospital experiences

• Missing school

• How cancer affects siblings and friends

• What being young with cancer feels like

There is no "perfect" thing to say. Your honesty and presence matter.

If you do not want to speak during a meeting, that is okay too. Simply being there makes a difference. And by the second meeting — you'll probably feel like a pro.

Q: Who can participate?
A: Kids, teens and young adults who are cancer survivors and their siblings. We invite kids ages 7-25.

Q: Do I need advocacy experience
A: No. We provide all the training and support

Q: Can I participate virtually?
A: Yes. We offer both in-person and zoom Climb the Hill Days

Q: How much does it cost?

A: The Climb the Hill Day is free to kids, teens and young adults with cancer and their siblings. We ask others to make a donation to cover costs.