Have you ever wondered what a sunflower lanyard really means? The young people from our additional needs and disabilities participation group (ATLAS) are on a mission to spread the word about this fantastic scheme.
Believe it or not, it's not just a colourful accessory (although it does look cool) – it's a symbol for people with hidden additional needs and disabilities, discreetly showing they might need extra support. These lanyards can be very helpful in public spaces like transport, workplaces, leisure venues, and more.
Why this campaign?
During one of the ATLAS sessions, we realised that not many people know about sunflower lanyards, and we set out to change that and something about it! We raised an action card:
- As young people with additional needs and disabilities, we want to launch an anti-stigma campaign to promote sunflower lanyards. Our goal is to reduce the stigma around additional needs and disabilities in our community and raise public awareness.
Will you celebrate and support this goal? Together we can make the sunflower lanyard a well-known symbol of understanding and support.
Creating and sharing the campaign
During our participation session, ATLAS worked together to bring this campaign to life.
- we discussed the key information we wanted to share about sunflower lanyards, including what they are, why they matter, and how people can show their support
- we wrote short scripts to communicate these messages effectively
- we filmed all three videos in one day and they were edited by one of our amazing ATLAS members
As a result of this, three amazing videos were created on the following topics:
- Video one:
- Video two:
- Video three:
Excitingly, ATLAS collaborated with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower who are the creators of the sunflower lanyards! These videos were shared during National Inclusion Week on 23 September 2024.
What's next?
We are incredibly proud of how Empower Sunflower turned out, but this is just the beginning. The action card for this campaign is now closed, but we have opened a new question card:
- As children and young people with additional needs and disabilities, how can we promote sunflower lanyards in a way that builds understanding and not just awareness? And how can we reach more people?
We are determined to take this campaign further and educate even more people about the importance of sunflower lanyards.
What can you do?
If you see someone wearing a sunflower lanyard, remember that it is a way of letting you know they might need a little extra patience or understanding. If you want to support this, share our campaign and videos with others.
Together, we can help build a more inclusive and understanding world.
Blog written by Libby, our apprentice in collaboration with ATLAS participation group.
Category: ATLAS
