EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

APRIL IS DIVERSITY MONTH

It was officially designated as diversity month in 2004, and it strives to help people gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of each other and their differences. To participate in April’s diversity celebrations, consider new ways you can integrate diversity into your life. This could be considering implicit biases you have or how they impact the judgment of the people around you or asking questions to make connections with others. See Governor Inslee’s message here.

April offers everyone the opportunity to learn more about diversity, celebrate and participate in various events that occur throughout the world. Below are just some of the opportunities that are regonized and celebrated in the month of April.

April 2022 Diversity Calendar • April 2: World Autism Awareness Day • April 2: Ramadan • April 15: Passover • April 17: Easter • April 22: Earth Day • April 21 - 23: Gathering of Nations Final Thoughts Celebrating diversity days that are unfamiliar to you can be intimidating. However, don’t think of them as something that you have to do perfectly. They are simply an opportunity to engage with communities that you otherwise wouldn’t, and that in itself is a learning experience.

https://www.diversityresources.com/april-2022-diversitycalendar/

As Americans, we believe in justice for all. Yet, every year an estimated 5 million, or 1 in 10 older Americans experience elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation. Working together, we can build the social supports that can prevent this abuse and keep everyone safe as we age.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) – commemorated on June15th every year – is an opportunity for people or organizations to take action to protect older people by raising awareness about elder abuse, why it occurs, and what we can do to stop it. We can act collectively to support justice for all.

The World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Tool Kit contains resources to help you engage your community, educate others, raise awareness about this serious problem, and empower people to take action to end elder abuse.

The Toolkit Includes:

• Outreach Guide: This booklet provides event planning tips and outreach ideas to help organizations generate awareness of the need to prevent elder abuse. • Event Planning Materials: Event planning materials such as fliers, and PowerPoint templates are available for you to download and customize to meet your needs. We also provide a list of things one can do to mark WEAAD and links to videos one can show at a WEAAD event. • Help with FAQs: Red Flags of Abuse and 12 Things Everyone Can Do to Prevent Elder Abuse handouts to empower organization members to be advocates as they educate community members about this important issue. • Fact Sheets: Educate people in our communities about how to recognize and intervene in instances of elder abuse, and provide information to help people protect themselves from potential abuse with consumer fact sheets. These are available in multiple languages. • Web Banner: Show support for WEAAD by posting a banner ad on websites. • Poster: Raise awareness about elder abuse by putting up an 8x11 inch posters in your community, such as in a local grocery store, pharmacy, post office, and places of worship. • Media Tools: Use our customizable social media posts for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well as a more formal Press Release template.

The World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Tool Kit is sponsored by the Administration on Aging, an agency of the Administration for Community Living. For more information visit us at http://eldermistreatment.usc.edu/weaad-home.