Maya Karlitz, Founder & Director
My name is Maya Karlitz, and I am a high school student with a strong interest in public health, cancer prevention, and health education. After seeing many people in my family diagnosed with or lose their lives to cancer, I felt a personal responsibility to turn those experiences into action. I began to recognize that while cancer can feel like something that is out of our control, there are many ways that education, early detection, healthy habits, awareness of family history, and access to appropriate screenings can make a meaningful difference. I also realized that conversations about cancer prevention are often directed toward adults, even though young people can be powerful messengers within their families, schools, and communities.
This inspired me to found Kids4CancerPrevention, a youth-led initiative dedicated to educating young people about cancer prevention and empowering them to share that knowledge with others. Through social media, educational resources, school programming, community outreach, and conversations with cancer prevention professionals and advocates, Kids4CancerPrevention works to make information about cancer prevention understandable, accessible, and relevant to young people.
Our goal is not only to teach kids about cancer, but to show them that their voices and actions can contribute to a larger culture of prevention.
I believe young people have a unique ability to spread health information because we are constantly learning, communicating with our peers, and sharing information with our families and communities.
A student who learns about the importance of knowing their family history, recognizing cancer risk factors, or understanding recommended screenings can bring that information home and start conversations that might not otherwise happen. By giving young people the knowledge and resources to become health advocates, Kids4CancerPrevention hopes to create a ripple effect in which education spreads from one student to their family, school, and broader community.
Ultimately, my goal is to help build a generation of young people who view cancer prevention as something they can actively participate in rather than something that only becomes relevant later in life. Through Kids4CancerPrevention, I hope to continue expanding cancer education, connecting young people with experts and organizations working in the field, and creating opportunities for students to use their voices to make a difference in cancer prevention and public health.
