Every year, World Cerebral Palsy Day is held on October 6. It’s an opportunity for people around the world to come together to celebrate and support those living with Cerebral Palsy, embrace diversity and to help create a more accessible future for everyone. 

Every three days a baby is born in NZ with Cerebral Palsy. That’s around one in every 500 babies.
Starting in infancy and lasting for life, Cerebral Palsy is the most common cause of childhood disability in this country. 
There are more than 10,000 people living with Cerebral Palsy in New Zealand and it affects more than 17 million people worldwide. 

This year, to celebrate World Cerebral Palsy Day, the Cerebral Palsy Society of New Zealand is asking its members, family and friends to Be Green & Be Seen for the day. 

We’re calling on you to dress green in your work place, at school, in your community or at home (if you’re still in lockdown restrictions), and then share photos of you, your family, friends, colleagues, class mates wearing green to Facebook or Instagram.  

Why not go one step further and decorate your letter box with green balloons and this sign, or do some green baking, paint your face green, or dress up as your favourite green character……

Get creative and remember to tag @cpsocietynz and use the hashtags #CPSocietyNZ #BeGreenBeSeen when you share your photos. 
Or email your photos to cpsociety@cpsociety.org.nz and we’ll share them on our website and our social media channels. 

World Cerebral Palsy Day is a movement to help create awareness and action around Cerebral Palsy. As Cerebral Palsy looks different on everybody, it is very difficult for people to understand what the diagnosis means. 

Some people’s Cerebral Palsy remains unseen, while for others, their Cerebral Palsy is all that gets seen.

There are millions of reasons why being seen is important to those living with Cerebral Palsy and those who love and support them. Please wear green on October 6th to ensure that every aspect of Cerebral Palsy gets seen. The good, the bad and the ugly of Cerebral Palsy can only change or be celebrated if we allow achievements to be shared and our difficulties to be noted. 

Change starts with conversations and conversations start by being seen. 

You can also tag World Cerebral Palsy Day in your posts, @worldcpday, and use the hashtags #MillionsOfReasons and #WorldCerebralPalsyDay.

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For more information contact: 

Melanie Louden 
Communications Manager
Cerebral Palsy Society
melanie.louden@cpsociety.org.nz
0800 503 603