Arise Like A Star Foundation

09/10/2026

WORLD SU***DE PREVENTION DAY / EMBRACE LIFE DAY

You do not have to carry this alone.

September 10 is World Su***de Prevention Day and is recognized in Nunavut as Embrace Life Day a time to strengthen connection, compassion and access to help.

If you are thinking about su***de, or you are worried about someone else, you do not need the perfect words before reaching out:

📞 Call or text 9-8-8 anywhere in Canada, 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
📞 Nunavut Kamatsiaqtut Help Line: 867-979-3333 or toll-free 1-800-265-3333. Anonymous support is available 24 hours a day.
📞 If someone’s safety is at immediate risk, call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency department or health centre.

If you are supporting someone, ask calmly and directly, listen without judgement, stay connected and help them reach trained support. Take immediate danger seriously.

Nunavut is Inuit homeland and Inuit form the majority, while our communities also include First Nations, Métis, Black, Caribbean, newcomer and other Nunavummiut. Support should respect Inuit language, knowledge and community realities and be culturally safe, disability-accessible and welcoming to every person who reaches out.

Arise Like A Star Foundation stands for hope, inclusion, belonging and purpose. Save these contacts or share them privately with someone who may need them. Please protect personal stories and health information in public comments.

Save these contacts or share them privately. Do not invite or disclose personal crisis stories in public comments.

***dePreventionDay

09/09/2026

INTERNATIONAL FASD DAY: COMMUNITY BELONGING

Awareness matters. Belonging changes lives.

September 9 is International FASD Day. This year’s theme: “Everyone Plays a Part: It Takes a Community” recognizes that people with FASD and their families thrive when support is shared.

Red ❤️ shoes have become a visible symbol of FASD awareness. Wearing red or sharing the Red Shoes Rock message can help begin respectful conversations but awareness must lead to understanding, practical support and belonging.

FASD is a lifelong disability affecting the brain and body. It does not look the same in every person, and it does not define the whole person.

Community support can mean:

♦️Listening to the person’s goals, interests and preferred supports
♦️Using clear, concrete language without speaking down to anyone
♦️Offering pictures, written steps, demonstrations or reminders
♦️Providing time to process, practise and try again
♦️Preparing for changes and communicating backup plans
♦️Recognizing strengths, creativity, persistence and contribution
♦️Supporting caregivers without blame or unrealistic expectations
♦️Making schools, workplaces, healthcare and recreation more accessible
♦️Protecting dignity, privacy, culture and self-determination

Nunavut is Inuit homeland and Inuit form the majority, but Northern communities are not culturally uniform. Support should respect Inuit language, knowledge and community realities while also welcoming First Nations, Métis, Black, Caribbean, newcomer and other Nunavummiut. No family should have to fit a stereotype before being understood.

Arise Like A Star Foundation believes every person with FASD deserves hope, inclusion, belonging and opportunities to live with purpose.

Learn one strengths-based FASD practice today and share it with a school, workplace, healthcare provider or community organization. Please protect personal and family information when sharing.

09/07/2026

World Duchenne Awareness Day 2026

Access changes what is possible.

September 7 is World Duchenne Awareness Day. The verified 2026 theme, “Access Changes Lives,” calls attention to equitable access to information, timely diagnosis, multidisciplinary care, specialist services, research and innovative therapies.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a genetic condition that causes progressive muscle weakness. Every person and family has their own identity, strengths, relationships, goals and support needs.

Access can include:

🌟Clear, accurate and understandable information
🌟Timely diagnosis and coordinated healthcare
🌟Appropriate mobility, communication and daily-living equipment
🌟 Accessible education, recreation and community spaces
🌟Support for caregivers, siblings and family relationships
🌟Meaningful participation in decisions that affect the person
🌟Opportunities for friendship, learning, employment and purpose
🌟Systems that remain supportive as needs change over time

For Northern and remote families, access may also be shaped by medical travel, weather, transportation, distance from specialists, staff continuity, housing and the availability of equipment maintenance. Location should not make dignity, participation or reliable support less important.

Arise Like A Star Foundation stands with people living with Duchenne, their families and the wider disability community in calling for access grounded in dignity, hope, inclusion and purpose.

What is one practical access barrier that healthcare, schools or community organizations could remove? Please keep comments general and protect personal health information.

09/06/2026

When a plan changes, support the transition not punish the response.

Changes in time, place, people, transportation, routine or expectations can be difficult for some people with FASD. Distress, hesitation, forgetting or arriving at the wrong time may reflect brain-based differences and an inaccessible transition not a lack of effort or respect.

Supportive transitions can include:

🌟Give notice as early as possible
🌟Explain clearly what is changing, what is staying the same and why
🌟Use a calendar, picture, written note, reminder or demonstration
🌟Break the transition into one manageable step at a time
🌟Allow extra time to process questions and feelings
🌟Repeat important details without blame or embarrassment
🌟Identify a trusted person who can clarify the new plan
🌟Reduce unnecessary sensory or time pressure
🌟Prepare a realistic backup when travel, staffing or technology changes
🌟Check again later rather than assuming one explanation was enough
🌟Ask the person what would make the change easier

CanFASD guidance recognizes that transitions and changes can be challenging and recommends consistency, sufficient planning and individualized support.

In Nunavut and other Northern communities, weather, flight changes, medical travel, school transportation, staff turnover and limited service alternatives can alter plans quickly. A backup plan should be communicated accessibly and should not place the whole burden on the person or caregiver.

Arise Like A Star Foundation believes people with FASD and their families deserve patience, dignity, predictable support, hope, inclusion and purpose.

What is one general way a school, workplace, healthcare provider or community program can make an unexpected change easier to navigate? Please keep comments non-identifying.

08/29/2026

A diagnosis may help explain support needs. It should never become the only thing people see.

Neurodivergent people and people with disabilities are whole people with identities, cultures, relationships, interests, talents, preferences, goals and ways of contributing.

A strengths-based approach does not ignore difficulty or remove needed support. It asks us to notice possibility while still taking barriers seriously.

Families, schools, workplaces and community programs can:
🌟 Ask what the person enjoys and what gives them energy
🌟 Recognize communication, creativity, persistence, humour, memory, movement, culture and problem-solving in many forms
🌟 Use genuine interests to support connection and learning, not only as rewards
🌟 Ask what success and belonging mean to the person
🌟 Adapt the environment so strengths can be expressed
🌟 Avoid comparing development, communication or participation with one narrow standard
🌟 Celebrate progress without making affection or dignity conditional on achievement
🌟 Make room for strengths and support needs to exist together
🌟 Include the person in decisions using the communication method that works for them
🌟 Protect privacy: appreciation does not require sharing a diagnosis or personal story

In Northern, Inuit, Indigenous, Black, Caribbean and other underserved communities, strengths-based support should also respect culture, language, family knowledge and community ways of contributing. It should not impose a single outside definition of independence or success.

Arise Like A Star Foundation believes every person deserves to be known for more than barriers and supported to arise with hope, inclusion and purpose.

What is one general way a school, workplace or community program can make people’s strengths more visible? Please keep comments respectful and non-identifying.

08/15/2026

Weekends are not automatically restful for neurodivergent people, individuals with disabilities, families or caregivers.

Rest does not have to be earned and support does not make a family weak.

Changes in routine, sensory demands, appointments, disrupted sleep and the constant work of planning can make “days off” feel like more work.

A gentle family reset does not need to be expensive or complicated. It might include:

🌟Keeping one familiar part of the daily routine
🌟Choosing a quieter activity without pressure to participate
🌟Preparing a low-stimulation space
🌟Offering clear choices instead of open ended demands
🌟Sharing caregiving responsibilities where possible
🌟Allowing extra recovery time after a busy week
🌟Checking in with the caregiver not only the person receiving care
🌟Accepting that rest may look different for each family member

Self-care is not a substitute for adequate services, accessible communities or meaningful respite. Families deserve both personal breathing room and stronger systems of support.

In Nunavut and other Northern or underserved communities, families may carry added responsibilities because specialized services and respite options can be limited. Listening without judgment is one practical way relatives, friends and community members can help.

Arise Like A Star Foundation believes caregivers and families deserve to be supported with the same hope, dignity, inclusion and purpose they provide to others.

What is one simple activity, routine or source of support that helps your family reset? Your experience may offer another family a practical idea.

06/21/2026

👔💙 Happy Father’s Day

Celebrating Fathers, Grandfathers, and Father Figures

Rise Like A Star Neurodiversity Families

👔💙 Happy Father’s Day!

Today we celebrate the fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers, uncles, guardians, and father figures who show up every day with love, strength, and dedication.

To the fathers of neurodivergent children…

To the fathers navigating medical journeys…

To the fathers attending appointments, advocating in schools, learning new skills, and standing strong during difficult moments…

💙 We see you.

Fatherhood is often quiet.

It is:

✨ Early mornings and late nights
✨ Protecting and providing
✨ Learning and growing alongside your children
✨ Being strong when things feel uncertain
✨ Celebrating every milestone, no matter how small

For many fathers, love is shown through action.

💙 The appointment they never miss.

💙 The therapy session they attend.

💙 The bedtime story they read.

💙 The hand they hold during difficult moments.

💙 The encouragement they give when a child needs it most.

As fathers, we may not always have all the answers.

But we continue showing up.

We continue advocating.

We continue loving.

And that makes all the difference.

To every father:

Thank you for your sacrifices.

Thank you for your strength.

Thank you for your love.

Thank you for helping children believe they can reach the stars.

🌟 Rise Like A Star honouring the fathers who help families rise every day.

06/11/2026

If you or someone you know needs support, please reach out to one of these resources. 🫂

➡️www.gov.nu.ca/en/health/mental-health-resources

06/03/2026

06/01/2026

Join us this National AccessAbility Week ( ), as we celebrate the contributions of people with disabilities and promote inclusion and accessibility in communities and workplaces across Canada. This is work our team does everyday, and it’s great to see people, organizations, and communities joining in across the country.

The theme for NAAW2026 is “Building a Strong, Accessible Canada.” As the government embarks on numerous projects, from ports to railways to housing and more, Chief Accessibility Officer Stephanie Cadieux is reminding leaders and decision-makers of the importance of consulting people with disabilities and embedding accessibility into plans and designs from the very beginning.

This is a moment of opportunity to get accessibility right. If we don’t, people with disabilities – more than a quarter of the Canadian population – will continue to face systemic barriers to inclusion. Here’s to building a barrier-free Canada! We look forward to celebrating with you this week! What do you have planned?

Alt text: Webcard that reads “National AccessAbiliy Week 2026 – Building a Strong, Accessible Canada – May 31-June 6 . The card features graphics depicting various disabilities and accessibility tools as decorative elements. Our office’s applied signature and the Canada wordmark appear at the bottom.