October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month - the perfect opportunity and the perfect excuse to promote breast cancer awareness in your workplace. But to increase awareness you first have to get peoples attention, and one of the best ways to make people stand up and take notice is through planning a memorable and distinct awareness campaign.
First off - decorate. Pink is the color of breast cancer awareness, but its not just a matter of ribbons. Start with your own cubicle or office. Infuse a refreshing blush into the earthy oranges of autumn. Whether your style calls for tulle and taffeta, tissue and bows or construction paper and crayons, brighten up your work space with soft shades of pink. And check with your supervisors to see if you can decorate other parts of the office: windows, doorways, the lunchroom or the reception area. The more pink, the better, and encourage your co-workers to decorate too.
The next step is to provide information. Find out if you can set up a breast cancer resource center in the workplace. A desk, a bulletin board, a section of wall - the nature of the space matters less than its visibility and accessibility. Decorate this area too, but more important here is the availability of informative and supportive material. Fill the space with posters and pamphlets. Provide contact details for local breast cancer resources, including support groups and mammography facilities.
You may even want to dedicate the space in honor of a breast cancer survivor, or in memory of someone who has had breast cancer. The companys intranet is another good location for this kind of recognition or memorial space. You could put up a page where employees can share their stories and experiences, or post messages in honor of breast cancer patients they have known. Your business could even have breast cancer awareness messages printed on its pay stubs or promotional material for the month.
Every great awareness campaign needs an event, so dont forget to plan something special to catch peoples notice and get them involved. Get a speaker in for a lunch and learn - a breast cancer survivor or activist, or a health care worker from a local cancer treatment center or mammography facility. Plan a pink themed day; make it Hawaiian or beach wear so everyone can dress down for a donation, and cap it off with a rose-colored meal, like a pink potluck lunch.
The basic steps involved in raising breast cancer awareness at your workplace this month may be fairly standard but the creativity lies in details, and theres no limit where your imagination can take you. Make this month - and this issue - one to remember.
Kristen Kelly is a strong advocate of living a healthy lifestyle. When she is not researching the latest women's health issues, she writes for thebreastsite.com a wonderfully informative website dedicated to educating people about breast cancer, breastfeeding and breast cancer detection.
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