Each year, International Day of Older Persons is celebrated on the first day of October. This year, 1 October has also been declared Ageism Awareness Day by Every Age Counts (EAC), a coalition of organisations seeking to address ageism in Australia.
Compared to other forms of discrimination, ageism is not well known or understood. This lack of awareness contributes to the wide acceptance of ageism – despite the damage it does to people’s lives and the community. This year’s theme Ageism. Know it. Name it is a reminder that knowing and naming ageism puts us in a stronger position to act. Ageism Awareness Day is an opportunity to draw attention to ageism and its impacts – a critical step towards changing community attitudes. Activities on 1 October will support the growing social movement to encourage positive attitudes towards ageing and older people.
How to take part
COTA Victoria and EAC encourage you to host an activity and use our resources to start a conversation about ageism and its impacts. Register your Awareness Raising Morning Tea and start the conversation. If you register before 17 September, EAC will send you an organisers pack, organising plan and the materials you need (like discussion guides and posters) to make your morning tea a sipping success.
If you can’t host a morning tea, you can still log in and participate in EAC’s Ageism Awareness Day 2021 online launch at 10.00 am on 1 October. Register online for the Ageism Awareness Day Online Launch. EAC will keep you informed about special guests and send your virtual login details.
So get your conversations brewing!