April is one of the most packed months for social, environmental and cultural advocates, as it is the awareness month for several important causes, as well as the home of many awareness days and weeks.
For mental health and neurodivergence awareness advocates, there are many dedicated causes to support this April. According to the Department of Defense website, April has been recognized as National Stress Awareness Month since 1992. Stress is something that affects everyone. Finding ways to effectively recognize and manage it can be beneficial year-round, but April has been set aside as a time for people to explore the causes and potential solutions to their stress. April has also been designated as National Child Abuse Prevention Month, Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Autism Acceptance Month.
The month of April also promotes awareness and acceptance for several different diseases and illnesses, making sure everyone can stay up to date and healthy. According to Awarenessdays.com, April is Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month and Bowel Cancer Awareness Month. World Health Day is celebrated April 7, World PI (primary immunodeficiency) Week is celebrated April 22-29 and World Immunization Week is from April 24-30. According to HIV.gov, April 10 is designated as National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day, and the Advocates for Youth organization will be hosting several activities on the day.
For any environmentalists, April also boasts causes to support in that realm. Earth Day on April 22 has been designated as a day to raise awareness against air pollution since its founding in 1970, and it has since grown to accommodate all aspects of sustainability and conservation. According to the Earth Day website, this year’s theme is “our power, our planet,” and they are planning to focus on spreading information about renewable energy sources. International Dark Sky Week, an event intended to combat and raise awareness for light pollution, is from April 21-28, and according to their website, anyone can join in by taking actions to protect the night sky, even if it’s something as small as leaving the lights off longer than usual.
April also recognizes several different cultural groups, most notably Arab Americans, with Arab American Heritage Month celebrated all month long.
Outside of serious holidays meant to raise awareness for various causes, there are also plenty of fun, lighthearted ways to get involved this April. Artists might enjoy Jazz Appreciation Month or National Poetry Month. On the technical side, April is also Financial Literacy Month, Mathematics Awareness Month and Citizen Science Month.
For anyone looking to get involved this April, there are plenty of causes to support and countless ways to celebrate our planet and the people that live on it.
