A Pink Wave for Breast Cancer Awareness and Prevention

Abstract

Background and context: Integrated in the Pink October Movement, we decided since 2014 to challenge people and institutions to use the color pink as a way to raise awareness concerning breast cancer prevention. Aim: Raise awareness and reinforce the idea that breast cancer prevention is possible, namely with screening. Strategy/Tactics: We present a list of possibilities to be done individually or in community, indoor or outdoor, in one day or several, with family, friends and colleagues or with the anonymous community. Program/Policy process: We disseminate this idea to all our partners: schools, municipalities, enterprises and, of course, mass media. Between the 15th and 31st October hundreds of institutions join us in this Pink Wave. Outcomes: Each year we raise the number of partners which develop creative and dynamic activities, engaging themselves a high number of participants. Information sessions, awareness workshops, gymnastics challenges, arts and crafts initiatives, call for partnerships throughout the rest of the year and fundraising. All of this empowers community and turns out to be totally impossible to run away from this wave and consequently from the theme of breast cancer prevention. What was learned: First, we learnt that sometimes less is more. We started to do a list of activities and we didn´t offered anything more. And the truth is people didn´t need it because the list was the trigger for their creativity and originality. Secondly, the spiral movement is reinforcement and each year we add new activities that were done successfully in the past by partners. This way people believe is possible and try it also. Finally, it´s very important to listen to the community: which kind of activities they enjoy the most and how can we help them... and of course to share with the community the good results, disseminating the best practices on social and mass media, stressing the idea that without them nothing (or nearly nothing) could be done!