Queensland Youth Advisory Group (YAG)

The Queensland Youth Cancer Service (QYCS) established the Queensland Youth Advisory Group (YAG) in 2013 in recognition of the value of meaningful youth participation in clinical service development. The YAG's vision is to ensure that any young person associated with a cancer diagnosis has a voice within their journey.

Purpose of the YAG

The YAG provides advice to the QYCS and the Queensland Department of Health on youth-focused services and initiatives within Queensland. YAG members represent the voice and lived experience of young people with cancer across Queensland.

The YAG identify their own priority areas relating to advocacy, advisory and peer support. They also support and guide improvements relating to:

• Providing advice about the models of care and referral pathways for young people.
• Providing advice about strategies to build workforce capacity to support clinicians to address the needs of adolescents and young adults with cancer, for exmpale, education and training for healthcare professionals on age-appropriate care and support to address the needs of adolescents and young adults with cancer.
• Age-appropriate space/environments tailored to the needs of young people.
• Consulting with young people about their experiences and views and providing advice about strategies for consumer participation in service enhancement and in the quality improvement of adolescent and young adult cancer services.
• Providing advice about the collaborative research agenda for young people affected by cancer within Queensland.
• Sharing opinions, views and reflecting on experiences. This includes utilising the formal feedback process to provide comment on the functioning of the group or suggest ideas for service improvement to the QYCS.

Who can join?

The YAG members are Queensland or northern New South Wales based young people who have a lived experience of cancer diagnosed between the ages of 15 to 25 years.

Members are aged between 15 to 29 years when active in the group, allowing people time to contribute to service enhancements in the youth cancer sector after their period of treatment ends.

How to get involved

If you would like more information on the YAG, or if you would like to get involved, email QYCS_YouthAdvisory@health.qld.gov.au or complete our expression of interest form.