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Face Equality Week is a time to challenge people’s perceptions and raise awareness about the prejudice experienced by too many people with visible differences.
We do this by sharing your stories and important new research. Using our supporter packs, people hold events in their own communities and start important conversations about visible differences.
When is Face Equality Week?
- Date: 17 – 21 May 2021
- Theme: Education
Education goes beyond the classroom. This Face Equality Week we need your help to raise awareness and educate your friends, family and colleagues, about the prejudice, discrimination, and stigma that people with visible differences can face in the UK.
Together we can start important conversations about living life with a visible difference.
We are looking forward to a week of sharing your stories, experiences and activities.
Ways to get involved
Tea break talking
People tell us that once they start talking about their scar, mark or condition, often others then share their own experiences. Sometimes people admit they hadn’t really thought about how their words or actions might impact someone with a visible difference.
That’s why this Face Equality Week we’re encouraging you to host your own Face Equali-Tea Party. Your Face Equali-Tea can be hosted online or in-person (depending on government restrictions where you are).
“During Face Equality Week I talked to my colleagues and the young people we work with about visible difference. Sharing experiences and encouraging questions is a great way to tackle prejudice and get people talking.” Ella, Changing Faces campaigner.
Our Face Equali-Tea Party pack (PDF) includes all you need, from conversation starters, to recipes and decorations. Now all you need to do is pick a date and time during Face Equality Week and invite some friends or colleagues to join you.
Sign up to take action
Throughout Face Equality Week we’re going to be sharing actions you can take through a series of tasks. You could be:
- Encouraging more brands and businesses to sign up to Pledge To Be Seen.
- Sharing new resources with schools.
- Getting behind our campaigners’ messages on social media, helping us to get #FaceEqualityWeek trending!
We’ll be updating this page with more details in the lead up to Face Equality Week. If you have an idea, event or activity you’ll be running during Face Equality Week, we’d love to hear from you. Please email [email protected]
What happened last Face Equality Week?
Face Equality Week 2020 was a little bit different as we responded to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its impact on the visible difference community.
Research with our community told us that there was rising anxiety. Some people were unable to rely on their usual support networks, while others felt anxious about how they would manage the stares, comments and abuse people with a visible difference can face when lockdown eased.
Our campaigners and ambassadors explored the unique perspective of life in lockdown with a visible difference in a new film, SeeMe HearMe, which you can view here:
They explored further in new podcast episodes, which you can listen to here. They aimed to send a message that no one with a visible difference should be forgotten and asked more people to share their stories and hopes for the future.
We also launched our Face Equali-Tea Party pack (PDF) with bunting, recipes and conversation starters so anyone could hold a Face Equality Week event, virtually or in person. We shared our Butterfly Challenge pack featuring some of our favourite activities for parents, carers and schools to help keep kids busy and engaged. The challenge pack helps us reach children when they’re young so we all learn to value the importance of difference.