Act Together is an article where we highlight upcoming awareness days and notable events for the month coming. We will also provide information around awareness months, and more information on what they mean to hopefully help educate and raise awareness for a range of important causes. Most of these awareness days will have messages in our Discord, filled with information about the day and what it means. We recommend joining and checking out the #well-being channel for all the information.

View below a breakdown of April's awareness days and months of recognition. We have also compiled this into a calendar for you to view and save.

April 1st:

• April Fools Day (International)
• Paraprofessional Appreciation Day (US)

April 2nd:

• Reconciliation Day (International)
• World Autism Day (International)

April 3rd:

• Good Friday (International)

April 4th:

• Holy Saturday (International)
• 404 Day (International)

April 5th:

• Easter Sunday (International)

April 6th:

• Easter Monday (International)

April 7th:

• World Health Day (International)

April 10th:

• World Siblings Day (International)

April 11th:

• World Parkinson's Day (International)

April 17th:

• World Hemophilia Day (International)

April 23rd:

• Saint George's Day (UK)

April 25th:

• ANZAC Day (Australia/New Zealand)
• World Malaria Day (International)
• World Penguin Day (International)

April 30th:

• AMKD Awareness Day (US)

 

April Awareness Calendar | Source: UpBeat

 

April recognizes a lot of awareness months, many of these we will cover in articles across the month to help promote understanding and educate around what they are and what to look for but let's take a look at what we have in store.

Upcoming Awareness Months, articles to look out for:

• Autism Acceptance Month
• Parkinson's Awareness Month
• Sexual Assault Awareness Month
• Bowel Cancer Awareness Month
• Testicular Cancer Awareness Month

 

Embrace the Spectrum | Source: EAP University of Texas

 

And we have a couple more awareness months we will touch on here and in our discord across the month

Deaf History Month

April touches on important milestones taken to revolutionize accepting and supporting people in our communities who are deaf or hard of hearing. It technically runs from March 13th to April 15th but April is noticed as Deaf History Month. The reason March 15th is significant as in 1817 the first permanent public school for the deaf in the US was opened (now known as the American School for the Deaf) in Hartford Connecticut. Other important key days include April 8th, 1864 when Gallaudet University, the first higher education institution for deaf and hard of hearing students was founded. March 13th, 1988 an incredible movement called "Deaf President Now" advocated the election of the first deaf president of Gallaudet University, Irving King. This month also raises awareness of a fundamental Deaf culture known as American Sign language (ASL), a visual language that is a form of communication for many deaf individuals.

 

Deaf History Month | Source: Deaf Services Unlimited

 

National Child Abuse Prevention Month

National Child abuse Prevention Month is recognized in April and it is an initiative that focusses on community driven efforts to strength relationships and families, increase awareness and prevent maltreatment of children. There are a number of organizations that emphasize protective factors and developing nurturing relationships and social connections, to develop healthy and safe relationships that ensure children's safety and healthy development. A blue pinwheel is a national symbol for this cause, and represents the safe and happy childhood every child deserves. Some alarming statistics came out to represent the importance of this awareness month. From a report found in 2022, approximately 1.9 million children received prevention service and more than half of those victims received post-response services. 20% of those confirmed maltreatment cases were removed from their homes. These alarming facts show just how common child maltreatment is, and it's only getting worse.

 

National Child Abuse Prevention Month | Source: Alliance for Children and Families

 

Concluding, we would love to support the UpBeat community in raising awareness and continuing to give support for things you may face. We have a form available to submit awareness ideas, and issues you may struggle with personally in day to day life. This includes just personal issues, maybe rough friendships, or other relationships or dealing with loss and grief; there is no limit.

Fill out the form below with anything you’d like help with:
https://upbeat.pw/qgCfbQ_AgonyAunt