Information & Resources for CRN’s
June 15th is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) and it’s time to start preparing! WEAAD was first established in June 2006 and is officially recognized by the United Nations General Assembly.
Below you find a variety of suggestions and resources for helping CRN’s promote WEAAD in their communities. Please select the hyperlinks to download the materials of your choosing (and feel free to edit any documents to best suit your needs).
BC CRN’s key message for WEAAD:
Shining a light on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD).
BC CRN’s interpretation of WEAAD:
WEAAD is BC CRN’s hallmark event! Most CRNs in the province participate in WEAAD in some way. We encourage individuals, organizations, and communities to join in the recognition of WEAAD by planning and promoting activities and events in your jurisdiction that:
- Bring greater recognition of the mistreatment of older adults
- Highlight the need for prevention activities that allow seniors in their community to live safely and with dignity
- Celebrate older adults who are active and vibrant members of their community
Go purple:
Purple is the colour BC CRN has adopted as WEAAD’s hallmark colour. Wear purple on June 15 to show your support!
The iris:
The iris flower is BC CRN’s official symbol for WEAAD and represents the promise for communities to shine a light on the issues of abuse and neglect of older adults. The iris helps our population’s most vulnerable live with dignity while also symbolizing hope, wisdom, courage, faith, and admiration.
Opportunities to partner with other agencies:
When planning an event or activity in your community, you may wish to contact local agencies in your community to determine if any other WEAAD activities are being planned at the same time. If another organization or group is planning a WEAAD event, consider partnering with them to increase the collective impact of bringing awareness to abuse, neglect, and self-neglect among older adults.
Ideas of agencies you may wish to approach:
- Local businesses and non-profit agencies
- Chamber of Commerce: your local chapter may be holding a special event as part of WEAAD that your CRN can participate in
- Schools and youth groups: WEAAD is a perfect opportunity to bring generations together (review the WEAAD Teen Kit produced by i2i intergenerational society for some great ideas)
WEAAD event planning ideas:
- Provide a letter of proclamation to your local government office (submit your request in May)
- Contact the city hall in your community and ask them to fly the WEAAD flag on June 15th (order a free flag before May 15, 2021!)
- Contact community agencies such as the police and health authorities to promote WEAAD on their websites and/or social media accounts (refer them to bccrns.ca)
- Distribute WEAAD flyers
- Order promotional materials for WEAAD (the order deadline is May 15, 2021)
- Utilize social media
- Regularly post WEAAD information to your social media accounts during the month of June to promote awareness – be sure to use hashtags such as #WEAAD and #BCCRN
- Produce a video that is relevant to your community
- Utilize traditional media
- Hold a month long media campaign leading up to WEAAD to increase public awareness of adult abuse, neglect, and self-neglect
- Send a media release to local media (newspaper, television, radio, or podcast)
- Run a photo, story, or poster contest in your local paper (refer to BC CRN’s consent form for the use of image and story and focus on submissions that present seniors as strong independent members of the community)
- Utilize online platforms
- Contact us to update your CRN’s page to include information and photos to promote WEAAD
- Host virtual meetings and/or conduct online workshops to involve people in spreading awareness
- Provide a certificate of recognition to individuals who have made valuable contributions to creating awareness during WEAAD
Please contact us at any time if you have any questions or require any additional support.
