WAYS YOU CAN BUILD MOMENTUM & MOBILIZE SUPPORT for
INTERNATIONAL CHILDHOOD CANCER DAY
Raise the Gold Ribbon Visibility
SIMPLE
Encourage your partners, allies, volunteers, colleagues, friends, family members to wear gold ribbon pins, or any gold colored wearables (i.e., caps, hats, shawls, scarves, bandana, shirts etc.) on February 15th.
Send gold ribbon pins or gold ribbon car magnets to your elected officials and other prominent individuals and ask them to send you a selfie showing them with the gold ribbon. Post this on your Facebook page or website and share it with ICCD and CCI’s Facebook page.
Another canvas for kids and adolescents (and even adults that are young at heart) are body or face-paint of the gold ribbon. Women can also create funky nail art with the gold ribbon. Food items (i.e., cakes, pies) can easily add gold ribbons as well.
HIGH IMPACT
During your event on ICCD, form a human gold ribbon. If we are able to do this on this day in 100 campaign sites all over the world, this will be a BIG THING.
Historically, iconic landmarks all over the world switch their lights to red to mark World AIDS Day, pink to celebrate Breast Cancer Month, so why not Gold for ICCD? Help spread awareness of childhood cancer by turning landmarks and historic buildings gold through a Light It Up Gold campaign. You could also request that they hang a huge gold ribbon or project a gold ribbon.
You can do the same for your building or office. Or you can simply decorate your office with gold ribbons. You can also invite your partner groups/institutions (i.e., schools, churches, hospitals, health facilities and other offices) and other places where people meet and congregate to turn gold for this day or week.
Invite and engage your partners, allies, volunteers, colleagues, friends and family members.
You need to bring in as many organizations and people into the campaign as possible. To create a movement for change, we need a wide network of supporters. The more groups, organizations and individuals know, talk about and want to do something, the louder our voices become; the stronger we are.
Increase your dialogue with various sectors of your community from now and in the next months.
Widen your reach. Invite other stakeholders, allies, partner networks/organizations and other child/adolescent focused organizations, to join the campaign.
Tell them to visit and sign up in the website https://internationalchildhoodcancerday.org/ starting January 15th.Tell them to visit and like the ICCD facebook page. Tell them to follow the twitter account @ICCDACTNOW.
Collaborate with various sectors and stakeholders in your community (medical and non-medical) to raise awareness on the challenges of childhood cancer in your community/country and to persuade political and health leaders to support, commit resources and take bolder steps in pursuing Childhood Cancer initiatives.
Let the world know we are all speaking out and standing together for
children/adolescents with cancer, the survivors and their families.
Publicly announce your support for ICCD
Let your organization, partners and other stakeholders know that you are supporting ICCD.
Prominently display the ICCD logo, together with an announcement on your website, facebook and other social media accounts.
Share this announcement with your friends in media; with your mail list serve accounts, ezine or newsletters.
Possible language of a Call to Solidarity Announcement (Option 1)
Name of your organization, has joined 177 organizations of Childhood Cancer International (formerly ICCCPO) in 90 countries, 1500 plus members in 84 countries of SIOP International Society of Pediatric Oncology) , 760 members of UICC (Union for International Cancer Control ) in 155 countries and members of ICPCN (International Childrens Palliative Care Network), in Celebrating International Childhood Cancer Day 2015. On this day, we remember and honor the bravery and courage of children and adolescents with cancer, the survivors and their families.
We are also launching a Global Campaign: ACT NOW (from February 15, 2015 till September, 2015 (Childhood Cancer Awareness Month)), to persuade governments, international development organizations and its agencies to support and integrate Childhood Cancer in the Global Child Health Priority Framework Plan and other key Global health development platforms and programs.
This Campaign is also a call out to our local leaders to respond to the needs and allocate resources for BETTER ACCESS TO CARE of children/adolescents with cancer and the survivors.
Together, let us advocate for the BEST for children and adolescents with cancer:
Better access to childhood cancer treatment and care;
Enhanced availability and access to affordable and/or free essential, good quality childhood cancer medications, including those for pain treatment;
Social protection through inclusion of childhood cancer in social health insurance or universal health coverage;
Stronger pediatric palliative care;
Treatments that are targeted and less toxic, developed and approved, leading to decreased chronic late effects for survivors of childhood cancers.
Through this campaign, we demonstrate our organizations support to the United Nations and WHO call for “Health for All”, “Unified Action against Non-Communicable Diseases” as well as the UNICEF call for Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child.
Possible language of a Call to Solidarity Announcement (Option 2)
Name of your organization, has joined 177 organizations of Childhood Cancer International (formerly ICCCPO) in 90 countries, 1500 plus members of SIOP in 84 countries ,760 members of UICC I 155 countries and members of ICPCN (International Childrens Palliative Care Network), in Celebrating International Childhood Cancer Day 2015. On this day, we remember and honor the bravery and courage of children and adolescents with cancer, the survivors and their families.
We are also launching a Global Campaign: ACT NOW (from February 15, 2015 till September, 2015 (Childhood Cancer Awareness Month)).
We urge you to join us in calling on governments, international development organizations and civil society, to recognize the needs of children/adolescents with cancer and ensure BETTER ACCESS TO CARE for CHILDREN/ ADOLESCENTS WITH CANCER EVERYWHERE.
Together, let us advocate for the BEST for children and adolescents with cancer:
Better access to childhood cancer treatment and care;
Enhanced availability and access to affordable and/or free essential, good quality childhood cancer medications, including those for pain treatment;
Social protection through inclusion of childhood cancer in social health insurance or universal health coverage;
Stronger pediatric palliative care;
Treatments that are targeted and less toxic, developed and approved, leading to decreased chronic late effects for survivors of childhood cancers.
Link up and involve media
Send write-ups or arrange interviews for your organizations leaders, childhood cancer survivors, parents/families of children with cancer. Draw attention to the issues, concerns and challenges of childhood cancer in your country.
Invite media practitioners to ICCD related events or better still ask your member parents/families to visit, email or text media practitioners to write about and showcase stories of children with cancer as well as survivors and their families.
Engage policy makers, legislators and key decision makers
Political Leadership and political will is the driving force of sustainable positive change. The strong partnership of civil society, non-government organizations and private sector, demanding for change and better access to care of children with cancer can create an irreversible momentum for change.
Draft a statement that your legislative champions can deliver in parliament or share with media before, during and after ICCD.
Write policy makers, legislators and decision makers. Use or adapt the attached template or send them a postcard.
Organize a visit of families of children with cancer to key legislators, health influentials and decision makers.
Sponsor an event
Big or small events organized to Support Children/Adolescents with Cancer and Better Access to Care for Children/Adolescents with Cancer will surely intensify the reach and impact of the campaign, way beyond International Childhood Cancer Day.
Some model initiatives that have successfully been tried over the years are: round table discussions, multi-stakeholder childhood cancer forums, celebrations honoring the survivors and volunteer, entertainment, sports and fun events, school related activities (poster contest, debates, art competition, musical or dance competition etc).
Email the iccdactnow@gmail.com and let us know what you plan to do so we can post it in the ICCD website. Alternatively, post your invites in the ICCD facebook page.
Show the human face of childhood cancer. Tell your stories
Better Access to Childhood Cancer Care and Increased Childhood Cancer Support is an urgent need by many if not all of the families we serve and work with.
Show your community and the world, photos and stories of children with cancer who need access to better health care, affordable , good quality essential childhood cancer medicines and enhanced social health insurance.
Share with us as well successful stories of how you have provided childhood cancer support and health care coverage. Showcase how it has impacted the lives of children with cancer and their families.
Upload your presentations to the ICCD YouTube channel. If you have prepared special video presentations for ICCD, upload it in our ICCD YOU TUBE channel as well.
Support Childhood Cancer Virtual Photo Booth or Virtual Video Portal or Virtual Message of Hope and Courage
Go to Tumbler or YouTube channel and create a custom photo/video
along any of the following themes:
I AFFIRM #ACTNOWICCD,
WE SUPPORT #BetterAccess2ChildhoodCancerCare,
WE ASK #Fight4MeToday.
Post and share your photo and video on your own social media account with captions
Possible hash tags for survivors and
survivor groups
Be sure to tag us using @iccdactnow.
Encourage and help others to make their own photo walls and videos to further strengthen and expand reach of the campaign.
Share a graphic to promote inspirational and compelling quotes from prominent health leaders and influentials
Get quotes from parents, survivors, volunteers, local health leaders and community influentials and display it prominently on your website and other social media accounts.