Raising awareness

"Raising awareness" is a phrase that advocacy groups commonly use when promoting a particular issue, organization, or event. Akin to consciousness raising, raising awareness refers to alerting the general public that a certain issue exists and should be approached the way the group desires. Common subjects include certain diseases (e.g. breast cancer, AIDS), conflicts (e.g. the Darfur genocide, global warming), movements (e.g. Greenpeace, PETA, Earth Hour), and political parties or politicians.

The term awareness raising is also used in the Yogyakarta Principles against discriminatory attitudes^[1] and LGBT stereotypes, as well as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to combat stereotypes, prejudices, and harmful practices toward people with disabilities.^[2]

Since informing the populace of a public concern is often regarded as the first step to changing how the institutions handle it, raising awareness is often the first activity any advocacy group engages in.

References

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