OTTAWA – March 2, 2022 – Today, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada launches ‘Beauty in Brain Difference’ as part of our Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Supporting our Inuit Families and Communities project. Pauktuutit works for the betterment of individuals, families, and community health conditions. This project aims to raise awareness while working to end the stigma associated with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
The Beauty in Brain Difference campaign helps people see the strengths and challenges unique to people living with FASD. The stigma surrounding FASD is a major barrier for people seeking services, being diagnosed, and accessing important resources and support. We hope our Beauty in Brain Difference campaign will help end stigma, open conversations around FASD, and ensure that all Inuit experience support, care, and community.
The campaign also highlights existing Inuit-specific resources about FASD available through community organizations like Piruqatigiit Resource Centre in Iqaluit, Nunavut.
“All Inuit — adults, youth and children — have the right to have their needs met,” says Gerri Sharpe, Pauktuutit’s Interim President. “We hope our Beauty in Brain Difference campaign opens up conversations around FASD, works against the stigma that exists for people living with FASD and highlights their many unique skills and strengths.”
Featuring artwork depicting Northern flowers and berries, the theme of the campaign conveys a strong, positive message, stating “…when the needs and strengths of people living with FASD are understood and nurtured, we can all blossom.”
Beauty in Brain Difference can be found on the FASD Project page or at pauktuutit.ca/beauty-in-brain-differences/
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Media contact: Amanda Deseure, 613.806.3336 or email communications@pauktuutit.ca.
Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada is the national non-profit organization representing all Inuit women in Canada. Its mission is to foster a greater awareness of the needs of Inuit women, and to encourage their participation in community, regional and national concerns in relation to social, cultural, and economic development.