The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is the nation's leading cancer advocacy organization and the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society. ACS CAN (& the SEL!) believes that everyone should have a fair and just opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. For more info, check out fightcancer.org.

• What is ACS CAN’s mission? To make cancer a top priority for public officials at the federal, state, and local levels.

• Has ACS CAN accomplished anything? Since 2001, ACS CAN has successfully advocated for billions in cancer research funding, expanded access to affordable healthcare, advanced tobacco control policies, and made equity in cancer outcomes a national priority.

• What do ACS CAN advocates do? ACS CAN advocates, including SEL members, advocate for ACS CAN’s mission by meeting with lawmakers or legislative aides, testifying at hearings, attending town halls, tabling at community events like farmers markets to gain signatures for ACS-CAN-supported petitions, educating their communities, and much more!

• What are ACS CAN’s priority areas? ACS CAN has 5 advocacy priority areas, which the SEL shares.

  • Funding cancer research

  • Improving the qualify of life for cancer patients

  • Improving access to healthcare

  • Controlling (& ending) tobacco use

  • Preventing and detecting cancer

The Society of Emerging Leaders (SEL) is group within ACS CAN, consisting of ACS CAN’s California youth advocates. We are a community of 400+ youth legislative ambassadors that run multiple health-equity-minded projects, a County Lead program, our chapter-based program (the Schools of Emerging Leaders), a fellowship program, and much more! Check out the buttons below to learn more about our history, impact, and current health equity projects.