Ideas for celebrating

Below are lots of great ideas to help you plan your National Families Week event.

For organisations and community groups, perhaps you could:

• Hold an Open Day for families to show what your agency or organisation does
• Make a National Families Week display in your foyer, service area or office highlighting what you do for families and what families mean to your organisation
• Erect displays in libraries, health centres, shopping centres etc
• Place a suggestion box in your foyer to encourage visitors to comment on your services
• Hold a picnic or BBQ for staff, clients or the public to showcase your services
• Host a family-friendly day in your workplace and encourage staff to bring children to work for the day
• Have a work experience day for youth from the local school or children of staff
• Hold seminars on topics relevant to the week for your clients and staff
• Hold an open forum to discuss the concerns of families and youth in your area
• Disseminate information on youth and families, parenting and the issues faced by families
• Look at your work and family policies. How effective are they? Are staff aware of them? Do they need updating?
• Produce a National Families Week edition of your newsletter or publications
• Arrange for feature articles to be placed in the media on local families and wellbeing
• Promote the Week and any events or activities you organise through community radio and TV commercials
• Have a photographic display or competition
• Hold a bush dance, hip-hop or a multicultural dance display
• Hold a writing or poetry competition – ask the local paper to publish entries
• Organise a concert
• Arrange a community outing to local areas of interest
• Arrange to do something special for a family in difficult circumstances e.g. a gift hamper, arrange babysitting, take the children to a movie
• Promote the achievements of local families through recognition awards
• Promote the diversity of families in your local area
• Honour families and youth who are an inspiration to you
• Investigate families’ needs, the issues they face and review services accordingly
• Link up and organise events with service clubs, community organisations and service providers and agencies in your area – include invitations to more disadvantaged members of your area
• Provide colouring in sheets for children in public contact areas
• Provide discount entry to your facility for families
• Record interviews with people in your community to build an oral history
• Sponsor or raise funds for a local family or youth related community project

For families and individuals, perhaps you could:

• Give kids lots of hugs and smiles
• Take time just to be with children
• Remember to look after adult relationships
• Ask for help if you need it
• Have a family movie marathon
• Have a family sports carnival
• Hold a family talent quest night
• Have a family games night
• Tell each other what makes your family great!
• ‘Adopt’ a granny or grandpa at the local nursing home or hostel
• Encourage your family to make short movies on issues important to them – and then hold a “Movie Premiere Night”
• Be active and eat healthy foods together
• Have a special family breakfast before work and/or school
• Let the children make dinner for the adults – and choose the entertainment!
• Organise a family walkathon
• Organise a street party
• Take some family photos or create a family album or book

The types of events are only limited by your imagination! Many of these ideas are interchangeable between organisations and families.

If you are holding a public event be sure to check whether you need public liability insurance.