FASD Awareness Month 2023

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September is recognized as FASD Awareness Month in Canada, with International FASD Day on September 9^th. Throughout the month, there are events, campaigns, and activities that aim to raise awareness of the disability and its prevention in order to improve diagnosis, and support for individuals with FASD and their caregivers, as well as women at risk of having an alcohol exposed pregnancy.

Inspiring awareness-raising events and activities are happening across the country. The Canada FASD Research Network (CanFASD) is Canada’s go-to resource for more information, offering a social media toolkit, as well as a list of buildings and monuments that will light up red on FASD Day in connection with the Red Shoes Rock movement. Find it all here.

Uniting Our Strengths: Finding Solutions Together

This year’s theme for FASD Awareness Month is Uniting Our Strengths: Finding Solutions Together. In connection with that theme, we want to highlight some of the great prevention campaigns, activities, and partnerships happening across Canada for FASD month.

Posters, coasters, brochures & more!

Researchers at the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health and CanFASD co-developed a brochure called Action on FASD Prevention in Canada that provides a brief overview of key principles that guide FASD prevention work in Canada, as well as examples of what prevention can look like at multiple levels. It is available to be printed and can be used as a quick explainer for those new to prevention.

In Alberta, the Prevention Conversation, Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis, and the Alberta FASD Networks are distributing lawn signs, posters, and coasters with information about the risks of alcohol use in pregnancy and FASD.

The Saskatchewan Prevention Institute is including FASD awareness messaging on various items, including pop-sockets, t-shirts, and USB hubs. And keep your eyes peeled for their media release and social media posts online!

Community-based events

In addition to distributing posters, the Lakeland Centre for FASD is hosting a number of events for their community, including a community BBQ and a mocktail challenge. Check out CanFASD’s mocktail challenge from last year for inspiration!

In Yukon, the FASD Interagency Advisory Committee’s FASD Awareness & Prevention Working Group is running a Facebook quiz and interactive educational display. Healthy Child Manitoba is organizing take-home pregnancy kits with FASD prevention messaging attached.

New research

The Public Health Association of Quebec (ASPQ) is highlighting new research on attitudes around drinking, pregnancy, and FASD.

And CanFASD has information about recent and emerging research on FASD and its prevention. Learn more here and here.

These are just a taste of all the great activities and events happening to raise awareness of FASD prevention across the country! Each campaign, event, and activity contributes to raising awareness of the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy and FASD, allowing us to unite our strengths and find solutions together that are trauma-informed, culturally grounded, and non-stigmatizing.