Today is an exciting day! The 1st September marks the beginning of FASD Awareness Month here in the UK. This is a whole month dedicated to raising awareness of FASD in the UK, as well as celebrating the amazing day-to-day achievements of awesome people with FASD up and down the country.
On the 9th of September, we’ll join with the rest of the world in celebrating International FASD Awareness Day. This is the 9th day of the 9th month, to highlight the importance of avoiding alcohol for the 9 months of pregnancy to help prevent FASD.
As usual, we’ve got loads of exciting things planned for this month, including activities and awareness raising opportunities for you and your loved ones to get stuck into.
#FASDGiveMe5
This FASD Awareness Month, we’re working with our friends at the FASD UK Alliance to promote the hashtag #FASDGiveMe5
The hashtag is designed to represent taking 5 for FASD, whether that’s taking 5 minutes to explain FASD to someone new, taking the time to learn 5 new things about FASD, or giving someone with FASD a high-five to celebrate their achievements!
It can be used as creatively as you like, so why not join us and raise some FASD awareness this month with #FASDGiveMe5? You could:
- Take 5 minutes to learn something new about FASD and then share it with others on your social media using the hashtag
- Share your 5 top informational pages from the National FASD website
- Take 5 minutes to write an email to your MP about FASD
- Share FASD information with 5 people who don’t know about it yet
- Take 5 minutes to celebrate the achievements of your loved one with FASD – you could even share them with us and they could be in the next edition of the Living FASD magazine!
- And much more!
How ever you choose to #FASDGiveMe5, make sure you use the hashtag and, if you like, tag us in social media @NationalFASD
We’ll also be sharing #FASDGiveMe5 fact posts throughout the month, as well as some fun videos featuring the team here at National FASD, so make sure to stay tuned to our social media channels and help us share FASD awareness!
Me & My FASD Photo Competition
This is your chance to get involved in raising some FASD awareness and have a chance to win a £30 Amazon voucher!
Starting today, we want you to send us photos of you raising awareness with this special banner in the best or weirdest place possible. We’ll give extra consideration to those of you who take the time to educate someone else about FASD while you’re at it.
Just make sure you’re holding this graphic in your hands in your picture. You can print it out and hold it, or, if you don’t have access to a printer, just hold it up on a phone or tablet screen.
To enter the competition, send in your photos using the portal on our Me & My FASD website, which you can access using the button below.
We’d also love to see you share your pictures on your social media using #FASDGiveMe5 and tag us at @NationalFASD
The competition closes at midnight Sunday 24th September, and the winner will be announced on the 30th September, so get snapping, and good luck!
#HearOurVoices - Tips & Resources to Effectively Advocate for Your Child
Join us on the 14th September for a free, virtual, discussion-led event for caregivers of young people with FASD!
During this session, we aim to help give you the tips and resources you need to effectively advocate for your child’s needs, and to get your family’s story heard.
You’ll also be given the chance to participate in a live Q & A with one of the UK’s leading FASD professionals!
Register now by clicking the button below.
The discussions and information gathered during this event will help inform the creation of a UK Caregivers’ FASD Wishlist document that National FASD intends to create, with the aim of further aiding parents in their ability to advocate for their child and themselves.
FASD Awareness Month Resources
If you’d like to learn even more about FASD Awareness Month or how you can do some extra awareness raising, we have a whole page loaded with resources and information that can help you do just that.
Just click the button below to find out more.
FASD Awareness Month Merch
We have a whole selection of merch and resources available on the National FASD store, including #FASDGiveMe5 t-shirts! Check out the store using the button below.
Disclaimer: Due to ongoing postal delays, and external suppliers we cannot guarantee when Awareness Month merch orders placed now will arrive.
National FASD’s 20th Anniversary
2023 marks National FASD’s 20th Anniversary!
We were founded in 2003 as NOFAS-UK by adoptive mother, Susan Fleischer, who ran the organisation until her retirement in 2016, when our current Chief Executive, and fellow adoptive parent, Sandra Butcher, took the helm. In 2020, we changed our name to the National Organisation for FASD.
We are currently an 8-strong team of dedicated individuals from varied backgrounds working tirelessly to increase education and support around FASD in the UK, with the support and guidance of our Board of Trustees, Experts Committee, and Adults and Young Adults with FASD Advisory Committee.
We’re so proud of our achievements as an organisation, and of how much progress has been made for people with FASD and their loved ones in the UK. There’s still a long way to go, and a lot of work to be done, but we’ll be taking chances this month to celebrate our amazing 20 years so far.
So, make sure to join us in celebrating 20 years of FASD progress in the UK! Here’s to the next 20 years and beyond!
We hope you have an amazing FASD Awareness Month, and get stuck in with as many awareness-raising activities as you can – we can’t wait to see what we can all do when we work together!
