Digital support groups for young people with cancer

Want to meet other young people with cancer, ask questions, and learn about things like education, mental health and body image after cancer treatment?

Join a support group

Register your interest

Groups and programmes available to you

We offer a variety of digital support programmes and workshops for children and young people with cancer.  These free sessions are led by our Social Care Practitioners, who specialise in supporting children and young people during and after treatment. 

Click on the groups and workshops below to find out more. 

We also have programmes for parents and carers.

“I found this workshop so helpful and informative! I think everyone in remission/survivorship would benefit from these sessions. The sessions are almost like my little guidebook to life post-treatment." 

A young person who attended the After programme

Sign up for online support groups

You can use the form below to sign up for all our online support groups. Once you’ve submitted your form, we’ll be in touch with more details about taking part.

If too many people have already signed up for the group you’re interested in, we’ll contact you and let you know when the next one is running.

The Intro programme

The Intro programme is an five session group for young adults aged 16 to 24 who have recently been diagnosed and are currently undergoing treatment. It covers some of the big topics and conversations that come up when you’re diagnosed with cancer. Those topics are:

  • Being thrown into the cancer world
  • Dealing with side effects
  • Managing work or school and money
  • Looking after your mental health
  • Navigating your relationships

If you’d like to register your interest for the next Intro programme, fill out the form and choose ‘Intro programme’.

The After programme

The After programme is an eight session post-treatment group for young adults aged 16+ covering some of the big topics and conversations that come up when you finish cancer treatment. Those topics are:  

  • Education and employment 
  • Fatigue 
  • Finances 
  • Your body 
  • Sexual health 
  • Fertility and routes to parenthood 
  • Mental health and scanxiety 

To find out if your eligible for this programme please email socialcare.practitioner@younglivesvscancer.org.uk  

If you’d like to register your interest for the next After programme, fill out the form and choose ‘After programme’.

Support group for 11-15 year olds

Are you aged 11-15 with a cancer diagnosis? We’re running a five-session programme so you can get support and meet others with cancer. We’ll be talking about areas of your life that are impacted when you get diagnosed:

  • Friends and relationships
  • Emotional wellbeing
  • Skin care and exercise
  • School & Education
  • Chill & chat session- craft activity

A young person who attended this group said:
“I loved it and found it very helpful, thank you!”

The next 11-15s support group will run in September 2024. If you’d like to register your interest, fill out the form and choose ‘11-15s support group’. 

Managing my emotional wellbeing

This is a one-off online workshop for 16-24 year olds looking at some of the challenges to mental health when going through cancer diagnosis and treatment. Siblings of young people with cancer (also aged 16-24) are also welcome to attend. We’ll cover:

  • recognising triggers
  • changes in thoughts, feelings and behaviour
  • self-help strategies
  • identifying people who can support you
  • creating a mental health safety plan.

The workshop also provides a space to chat with other young people in a similar situation who get it.

We’re still finalising a date for the next emotional wellbeing workshop. If you’d like to register your interest, fill out the form and choose ‘Emotional wellbeing workshop’.

Look Good Feel Better x Young Lives vs Cancer

Run in partnership with the charity Look Good Feel Better, these sessions are an opportunity to talk about body image during and after cancer treatment. You’ll also get some great tips on things like skincare, makeup and hair care, and receive a goody bag! 

We run Look Good Feel Better sessions for two age groups: 11-15 years and 16-24 years old. If you’d like to register your interest for the next session, fill out the form and choose the Look Good Feel Better session for your age group. If you’re aged 11-15, a parent or carer needs to fill out the form.

UCAS, cancer and me

This session was run by our Social Care Practitioner Laura in October 2022, and you can watch the full presentation here.

It’s all about applying to university after cancer treatment, including what UCAS is and how to talk about your experience of cancer.