Northern California – 2026 Youth Ambassador Hub

Read more in:

Welcome Youth Ambassadors and Parents!

Thank you for your interest in being a 2026 Breakthrough T1D Northern California Youth Ambassador! As a Youth Ambassador (YA), you will have the opportunity to advocate for and raise awareness about type 1 diabetes (T1D) in your community. You will also help fundraise for better treatments and a cure for T1D. In turn, Youth Ambassadors will gain confidence in sharing their T1D story, demonstrate leadership skills, and collaborate with T1D peers all while advancing the mission of Breakthrough T1D.

The Youth Ambassador program is open to children and teens impacted by T1D in grades K-12. Those who complete the application and program described below will be certified as Youth Ambassadors on July 1, 2026. Thank you for your support and driving forward our mission to cure, treat and prevent T1D!

Program Requirements

From now until June 30, 2026, each Youth Ambassador should complete the following:

  • Please watch a recording of our Youth Ambassador Orientation or review the presentation slides. If you have additional questions, we’d be thrilled to schedule a separate orientation with you. To arrange, please contact Laurie Jimenez at LJimenez@BreakthroughT1D.org
  • Complete the Youth Ambassador Application 
  • Complete your choice of 4 of the activities listed on the table below, 1 of which must be a fundraiser (activities that count as fundraisers are marked with an asterisk)
  • Set a fundraising goal to reach by June 30th, 2026
  • Make sure to fill in and submit the activity log every time you complete an activity
ACTIVITY GRADE COMPETENCY
Attend a Breakthrough T1D Youth Ambassador  National Meet Up   K-12 LEARN, CONNECT
Attend a NorCal Meet Up (in person or virtual)   K-12 LEARN, CONNECT
Become a Youth Advocacy Leader (see link below)   K-12 LEARN, LEAD
Participate in a clinical trial (see link below)    K-12 LEARN
Write thank you letters or create thank you videos through Gravitad   K-12 CONNECT
Speak at a Lunch & Learn at your parents’ work or arranged through Breakthrough T1D   K-12 CONNECT, LEARN, LEAD
Share your story & educate others (ie: school, club, health fair, info table etc.)   K-12 CONNECT, LEARN, LEAD
Form a Walk team and fundraise*   K-12 CONNECT, LEAD
Participate in Breakthrough T1D Ride and fundraise*   8th – 12 CONNECT, LEAD
Participate in Breakthrough T1D Run and fundraise*   8th – 12 CONNECT, LEAD
Post to your parents’ social media why you Walk, Ride, Run – share your story   K-12 CONNECT, LEAD
Create a Your Way fundraiser and share your story (see ideas below)*   K-12 CONNECT, LEARN, LEAD
Volunteer at a Breakthrough T1D event (Summit, Breakfast with Rufus, etc)   8th – 12 CONNECT, LEAD

Youth Ambassador Application

With your parent’s permission, please complete our Youth Ambassador Application. The application is an opportunity to share about yourself, your connection to type 1, and what you are hoping to gain from the program.

Activity Log

Please use this form to log your activity for the year. Every time you write a thank you note, make a video, or attend an event, fill out one form for each activity you complete – Youth Ambassador Activity Log.

Upcoming Engagement Opportunities:

The opportunities listed here will help Youth Ambassadors complete the program requirements for the year.  New events and opportunities will continue to be added throughout the year, so check back often!

Fundraising Opportunities:

Volunteer to help:

Youth Advocacy Leader Program

Did you know that sharing your story can help drive meaningful changes on Capitol Hill and beyond? We need dedicated Breakthrough T1D Advocates–just like you–to help strengthen our efforts to create a world without type 1 diabetes. As a Breakthrough T1D Youth Advocacy Leader (YAL), you can lend your voice on behalf of the T1D community to help support legislation and policies that accelerate life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent, and treat T1D and its complications! Youth ages 17 and under are encouraged to apply (pro tip – it’s a terrific way to strengthen a 2027 Children’s Congress application!) Learn more and apply!

Participate in a Clinical Trial

Please check out our Clinical Trial webpage to see if there are any trials you qualify for near you!

Resources for hosting a Lunch & Learn or Info Table and Sharing Your T1D Story

Here are worksheets that you may use to build your T1D story to share in front of an audience:

If you would like to view the 2025 virtual training video, please contact LJimenez@BreakthroughT1D.org.

Other Ideas to Support Fundraising

We want to make sure that fundraising is not only meaningful, but also fun! No matter your interests and talents, we have ideas for you! Make sure to check out our latest list of fundraising ideas here. And keep checking back as we update the list with YOUR ideas!

Looking for Breakthrough T1D Apparel? 

If you’d like to add some Breakthrough T1D swag to your wardrobe, visit https://shop.breakthrought1d.org/products/apparel/.

Any Questions? Please reach out to Laurie Jimenez at LJimenez@BreakthroughT1D.org

Written by: J. Shelly Jensen