HEALTH AWARENESS DAYS/WEEK AND FOR THE MONTH OF JULY…

July seems to be the quietest month for health awareness with a quarter of what is happening this June but every bit helps so here are some awareness days/week for the month of July.

SARCOMA AWARENESS MONTH – 1^st July – 31^st July – Every year thousands of people are diagnosed with sarcomas, a type of cancer that forms in the connective tissues of the body including fat, blood vessels, nerves, etc. Sarcomas are a rare form of cancer, but no less deadly for their rarity. Research continues on what causes sarcoma and why certain people develop it, and Sarcoma Awareness Month was created to help raise awareness of this disease and all the people it effects.

Celebrating Sarcoma Awareness Month starts with education. With these forms of cancers being so rare most people don’t know a lot about them, so spend some time researching sarcomas in all their forms. Then move on to studying how one would recognize the symptoms of a sarcoma so you’ll know to check with a doctor if any of these signs pop up.

From that point forward it’s time to start looking to help those in your community who are already facing this disease by connecting with non-profits in your area. Working with these organizations will help spread information, raise awareness, and generate funds for research and other related charities. Get out there and do your part to help relieve the suffering of those who are facing a sarcoma diagnosis, Sarcoma Awareness Month is your perfect opportunity to do so, and then carry it through the rest of the year.

SAMARITANS AWARENESS MONTH – 1^st July -31^st July Talk to Us Month throughout July A Samaritans-led event that encourages communities to become better listeners during July. Samaritans are here to listen 24/7 for anyone that needs us. But we’re also encouraging people to become better listeners. Why not get involved on social media on 24 July and pledge to become a better listener?

Becoming a better listener can help you support loved ones who may be struggling to cope. It can also help improve your relationships with family, friends, and colleagues. You could help your loved ones open up about how they’re feeling by making some small changes to the way you listen. Why not try pledging one of the following things:

I pledge to listen without being distracted
I pledge to listen without interrupting
I pledge to check in with my loved ones more often and ask them how they really are

Or, you can make up your own pledges.

Listen without being distracted

Try things like making eye contact, putting your phone away and focusing completely on the other person. If you’re talking to someone on the phone, try doing it in a quiet place.

Listen without interrupting

Try and remember that pauses are fine, you don’t need to jump in and fill a silence. Resist putting your own interpretation on what the other person is saying, and repeat back what they say so it shows you’re listening.

Check in on loved ones

Why not try adding reminders to your calendar or phone, to check in with loved ones once or twice a week. Don’t give up, sometimes it can take a few tries to get someone to open up about how they’re feeling.

Or sign up for a Samarathon and walk or jog 26.2 miles to help the make sure every call is answered…

Thank You Day Sunday 2nd July – is the day before the NHS’s birthday so it’s a perfect moment for the country’s biggest-ever thank you party. A chance to get together in the sunshine (we hope), with our neighbours, communities and families, to mark what has happened, celebrate the spirit that got us through and says thank you. It doesn’t matter how we do it, just get together and say thank you in our own way.

Over the past two years, 15 million people have taken part in this chance to say thank you for everyone and everything that makes our communities great places to live in and to get connected with the people they live alongside all year round.

After yet another tough year, our neighbours and communities matter now more than ever. So this year, we’re also making a special effort to include people we don’t normally see and meet someone we wouldn’t normally say hello to. Find an event near you or check out our resources to help you create your own day!

Starting from just 13 individuals proposing a Thank You Day, the idea is now supported by hundreds of organisations across the country, ranging from the Scouts and Guides to Rotary and the Royal Voluntary Service, NHS, The Mirror and the Sun, the Football Association and the Church of England.

It’s got the backing of celebrities, religious leaders and sports stars, local councils and schools, businesses and communities throughout the UK.

The aim is for as many people as possible to be involved, however they would like, so everyone who deserves it gets a thank you – and the whole of the UK gets together.

There isn’t a strict plan for the day (the idea is to say thank you however you want!) but people are already organising lots of activities which we can all join in with and support.

3,350,000 people helped organise a Thank You Day event in 2022

International Day of Friendship Day 30 July – An annual event, this day promotes the role that friendship plays in creating a culture of peace.

Our world faces many challenges, crises and forces of division — such as poverty, violence, and human rights abuses — among many others — that undermine peace, security, development and social harmony among the world’s peoples.

To confront those crises and challenges, their root causes must be addressed by promoting and defending a shared spirit of human solidarity that takes many forms — the simplest of which is friendship.

Through friendship — by accumulating bonds of camaraderie and developing strong ties of trust — we can contribute to the fundamental shifts that are urgently needed to achieve lasting stability, weave a safety net that will protect us all, and generate passion for a better world where all are united for the greater good.

The International Day of Friendship was proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.

The resolution places emphasis on involving young people, as future leaders, in community activities that include different cultures and promote international understanding and respect for diversity.

To mark the International Day of Friendship the UN encourages governments, international organizations and civil society groups to hold events, activities and initiatives that contribute to the efforts of the international community towards promoting a dialogue among civilizations, solidarity, mutual understanding and reconciliation.

The International Day of Friendship is an initiative that follows on the proposal made by UNESCO defining the Culture of Peace as a set of values, attitudes and behaviours that reject violence and endeavour to prevent conflicts by addressing their root causes with a view to solving problems. It was then adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1997.

World Hepatitis Day 28th July – Whether you have one minute or an hour, there are plenty of ways you can get involved in World Hepatitis Day to make sure that the world knows that Hepatitis Can’t Wait.

Join the fight! – ‘We’re Not Waiting’ is the campaign theme for WHD 2023. This will bring the global community together countries together to call for the acceleration of hepatitis elimination efforts and to celebrate those who are already taking action in their own lives and in their communities. The campaign will also highlight the social injustice and inequity caused by the current lack of action on hepatitis elimination and focus on the positive action needed to get on track to meet our 2030 elimination goals. Every year, more than a million lives are lost to hepatitis. We’re not waiting for change – we’re fighting to make it happen.

People living with viral hepatitis unaware can’t wait for testing
People living with hepatitis can’t wait for life saving treatments
Expectant mothers can’t wait for hepatitis screening and treatment
Newborn babies can’t wait for birth dose vaccination
People affected by hepatitis can’t wait to end stigma and discrimination
Community organisations can’t wait for greater investment
Decision makers can’t wait and must act now to make hepatitis elimination a reality through political will and funding.

‘We’re not waiting’ is call to action for WHD 2023. It’s a call to accelerate elimination efforts of viral hepatitis now and the urgent need for testing and treatment for the real people who need it. Individuals and communities around the world are making change happen in their own lives and in world around them. We celebrate them, while demanding more action.