180 Participants Attended the Largest Meeting of the European Network of Youth Cancer Survivors Organised by Youth Cancer Europe

🗓️ This August, the largest meeting of the European Network of Youth Cancer Survivors, organised by Youth Cancer Europe in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, brought together 180 participants in attendance (168 in person and 12 online). Beneficiaries, Associated Partners, and youth living with and beyond cancer from a record of 32 countries gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of the ambitious EU-CAYAS-NET project, co-funded by the European Union. The event featured networking events and workshops covering topics such as Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) cancer care, Mental Health, Quality of Life, Cancer Survivorship, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) in cancer care, and more. 🎗️

The event also coincided with UNTOLD Festival, which our participants were invited to attend as part of the weekend celebrations, and where they got a chance to meet the likes of Sam Smith, Martin Garrix, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Tujamo, Zerb, Alok, Nicky Romero and many more backstage, in meet-and-greets organised by YCE.

UNTOLD, held annually in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, is one of Eastern Europe’s largest music gatherings and holds the #3 spot in DJ Mag’s list of the world’s best festivals. The youth cancer survivors’ meeting at the 2024 UNTOLD Festival was a powerful reminder of the role that major public events can play in supporting and raising awareness on behalf of vulnerable communities.

The project made its presence felt across the city, with welcoming signs at the airport to greet participants, a collaboration with the University of Babes-Bolyai to host everyone attending from out of town at their local campus, and both consuls and staff from the City Hall (including the city’s mayor, who shook hands with representatives of all 32 countries in attendance) coming together to greet our survivors.

In addition to this, Youth Cancer Europe also held an activation corner on the festival site, raising awareness about the project while engaging with tens of thousands of festival attendees throughout the weekend.

National press in Romania, as well as international press, made waves of the initiative, with coverage across 35 online news portals reaching over 23 million users, while a number of the stars posted content from the backstage meet-and-greets on their own social media channels.

👉 Read more here and here.

Check out some testimonials below

🎤 “My personal biggest grudge against cancer is that it took away my youthful carefree spirit. But here in Romania, listening to my beloved Swedish House Mafia (who I usually listened to in my most difficult moments) at the UNTOLD festival, something inside me relaxed again – tears of happiness, love, anger, sadness and all the other mixed emotions that have been building up inside me for years rolled down my cheeks. Thank you to the organisers for this opportunity and thank you all for being the biggest promoters of the fact that it is worth fighting over and over again and living life to the fullest – no matter what has happened to us and no matter what lies ahead. Cheers to life!” –  participant from Slovenia

🎤 “A huge thank you to everyone that organised this event. It was truly one of the best experiences of my life. What a beautiful way to celebrate life and the fact that we are all still here, that we are Alive. Thank you for all you do. You are all amazing!” – participant from Portugal

🎤 “Thank you all for this incredible and unforgettable experience in Cluj! Great organisation and warmest welcome by the YCE team, super interactive workshops by other ben-reps, and just awesome spirit and vibes among all participants! You all made my first Cluj-visit and festival experience into something very special! Let this amazing spirit and collaboration grow further!” – participant from, Slovakia

🎤 “No words can describe this past weekend! Thank you all, it was nice seeing you again (or meeting you for the first time)! Let’s hope we get to party together again soon!” – participant from Belgium

🎤 “Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I have so much emotion in me! From madness to gratitude! You have given me freedom and motivation to not hold back! It’s unstoppable!” participant from Poland

Thank you to Gavart for all the lovely photos! 🙏🏻

▶️ Check out more videos below ⬇️