OT Week 2023 – campaign update
We’ve listened to members and adjusted the campaign.
We’ve heard from a few members about the very distressing situation in Israel and Gaza and our upcoming OT Week campaign, ‘Occupation matters’. The concerns raised are primarily about the campaign’s title and the meaning of the word ‘occupation’ in its geo-political sense, and whether it’s appropriate given the current conflict.
We hear and appreciate the concerns. We spent time last week considering the options and consulting with the group of members who have been involved in shaping the campaign. We’ve had a wide range of views shared with us.
Occupation is at the core of our profession and in everything we do. In the context of occupational therapy, the word occupation has a very distinct meaning, as any activity that we need, want or like to do to live and to look after our physical and mental health. But like many words in the English language, occupation has several meanings. That’s why we need to create a better understanding of occupation in the context of occupational therapy.
We’re mindful of the strength of feelings involved and want to be sensitive to them all and we don’t want anything to distract from celebrating occupational therapy. That’s why we’re making a few adjustments to the campaign. We will stop using the title ‘Occupation matters’ and the hashtag. We’ll focus on #OTWeek instead, adapt our materials and ensure that throughout the campaign we clearly position occupations in the context of occupational therapy.
We’re taking some time this week to update the resources and will email you when they’re ready. As well as the posters and graphics shared already, we will also have other resources that provide a narrative around occupations, conversation prompts, a brief on occupation-centred practice and a calendar of suggested activities.
If you have questions on about this and the campaign, please look at the FAQs on our website.