The goal of Dress Purple Day is to raise awareness among Ontarians about the kinds of resources and supports that are available across the province to children, youth, and families facing challenges. One of the ways we do this is by partnering with stakeholders to help us share this message.

This year, OACAS is pleased to see participation from a range of partners, including our members, schools and school boards, municipalities, mayors, community service providers, provincial associations, and local businesses.

Here are just a few of the ways stakeholders have joined Dress Purple Day 2022:

• OACAS CEO Nicole Bonnie was pleased to join Minister Fullerton, Children, Community and Social Services, to share a message of support for Children’s Aid Societies and Indigenous Child and Family Well-Being Agencies, and to remind Ontarians that we all have a responsibility to support the children, youth, and families in our communities. Watch their video here.
• OACAS CEO Nicole Bonnie was also invited to join Privacy Commissioner Patricia Kosseim for an in-depth conversation on her podcast, Info Matters. In their episode, Nicole speaks to why OACAS has shifted the focus of the Dress Purple Day campaign during her tenure as CEO, as well as more broadly on issues of equity in child welfare, its intersection with privacy and the work of the IPC, as well as the importance of race-based data collection and analysis to drive systemic change. Listen to the episode here.
• Schulich ExecEd, long-time partners of the OACAS Learning team, joined the campaign to showcase their commitment to supporting the child welfare sector and in particular, children, youth, and families facing challenges in Ontario. Read their statement here.
• Windsor-Essex Children’s Aid Society released a series of videos, featuring animated characters from Beastie Valley, to support conversations among educators and other professionals working with young people about their rights to safety and well-being. The videos are intended to accompany the existing set of prevention classroom resources, while also functioning as standalone assets to help adults teach children and youth about their rights and how to get help if they need it. Read more about their release here.

To see who else is dressing purple to show their support for children, youth, and families in Ontario, follow @our_children on Twitter or the hashtags #IDressPurpleBecause and #DressPurpleDay2022 on social media.