The Youth Advisory Council (YAC), formed in 2013, is a platform that empowers teenage and young adult patients of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland, as well as their siblings, to work alongside medical teams. Established by the hospitals’ child life specialists, the YAC supports young people as they advocate for themselves in their care, provide insight to medical professionals, connect with their peers for support and advise on decisions that will directly impact hospital life. The council is made up of patients from diverse backgrounds – representing various age groups, medical conditions and life circumstances – as well as child life specialists and medical staff. Through collaboration and communication, the YAC’s mission is to make hospital life a little bit easier.