Ways to raise awareness
Raise Awareness
Part of reducing stigma is to educate your school community about epilepsy. By raising awareness, your school can demonstrate that it understands epilepsy and provides a welcoming environment for all students.
There are several ways you can embed epilepsy knowledge at your school. You can use classroom activities to teach students about epilepsy. You can host a Make March Purple event to celebrate awareness about epilepsy.
What is important is to show that you are an inclusive school and that students with epilepsy will never feel alone.
You can use our online classroom activities to add to your curriculum, or, as many schools do, you can choose to hold an event during Make March Purple or, in fact, any time of the year, to raise awareness.
- Register to take part in a Make March Purple activity, or
- Use our classroom activities.
Teachers/Staff
Learn more about your responsibilities…
Parents
Learn about what your child’s school can do…
Students
Learn about what epilepsy means for you…
Make March Purple
Purple is the official colour of epilepsy and March is the month when we recognise epilepsy and those who have the condition. Make March Purple, which culminates on Purple Day, 26 March, aims to encourage people to talk about epilepsy and to remind those who live with seizures that they are not alone. To support epilepsy awareness, we encourage you to ‘GO PURPLE’ to support and increase awareness and understanding of epilepsy.
If you are a school, working towards becoming an Epilepsy Smart School – ANY DAY can be a Purple Day.
Many schools choose to host a Make March Purple activity. Purple Day is a grassroots effort dedicated to increasing awareness about epilepsy worldwide. You can hold a Purple Day on any school day of the year. Purple clothes, purple hair, purple anything you want (maybe don’t paint the school building).
What can you do to support Make March Purple and Purple Day?
Schools can show their support by hosting a Make March Purple or Purple Day event – in fact, on any day of the year – and talk about epilepsy and raise valuable funds.
Here are some ideas:
- Purple dress up day with a gold coin donation
- Cupcake day
- Creative hair day
- A purple sport day
- Buy merchandise or
- Arrange a collection to donate to vital epilepsy services.
Contact Us For More Information
Australian Capital Territory 02 6287 4555
Queensland 07 3435 5000
South Australia / Northern Territory 1300 850 081
Tasmania 03 6344 6881
Victoria / New South Wales 1300 437 453
Western Australia 1300 660 880
Classroom Activities
Build your brain
This is a great practical tool for teachers to raise awareness about the brain with students and the effects of epilepsy. Tested on 8 year olds but please tailor to the class level.
Cheeky neurons
The Cheeky Neurons partner with Epilepsy Australia to spread awareness and encourage open conversations about the brain and epilepsy. Plus, they are a whole lot of CHEEKY fun!
Host a Purple Day
Purple Day can be everyday! Promote Epilepsy Awareness by hosting an event. Don’t forget to register your event for Epilepsy Smart School recognition.
Classroom activity – Prep to upper primary
This exercise uses story telling and drawing to teach students about epilepsy and how it might affect someone they know.
Classroom activity – Mid to upper primary
Using both video and worksheets, this activity is designed to generate class discussion and break down stigma around epilepsy.
Classroom activity – Upper primary to secondary
This activity has word search exercises combined with links to materials that explain what seizures are and how they occur.
Epilepsy Smart Postcard
Have a look at our Epilepsy Smart Postcard. It will quickly tell you the key facts about epilepsy. If at any time you have a question about your epilepsy, please contact the National Epilepsy Support Service on 1300 761 487.
Epilepsy Smart Quiz
Feeling epilepsy smart? Take the Epilepsy Smart Quiz and find out!