September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month – our annual opportunity to create awareness of the impact of cancer in so many children and their families around the world.

For this campaign we use the gold colour to honour children with cancer’s courage. Participating in this campaign is expressing solidarity, standing up and speaking out for and with children/adolescents with cancer, childhood cancer survivors and their families.

This year, we seek to raise awareness about disparities in care and treatment. There are many ways that you can get involved throughout September to show your commitment with our cause and to inspire hope among children and adolescents with cancer and their families:

There are many ways that you can get involved throughout September to show your commitment with our cause and to  inspire hope among children and adolescents with cancer and their families!

In February 2024, to commemorate the ICCD, CCI and SIOP launched a successful three-year campaign focused on exposing the diverse challenges and inequalities encountered by those navigating the complex landscape of childhood cancer. The annual theme was “unveiling changes”. Through a global call to action, we invited our communities to share their experiences and insights by submitting digital postcards outlining the hurdles they face.

For Gold September, we want to showcase the results of that campaign, highlighting the most pressing challenges identified by our communities. Through September, we will be sharing posts on our social media platforms highlighting the results of the ICCD 2024 campaign. We invite our community members to spread the word and disseminate this crucial data on their own communications channels.

You can download the Social Media Toolkit and custom graphic templates here. Please feel free to add your logos and translate the contents as needed. It is important to follow the calendar presented so that we can all be united with one voice.

We created a Gold September frame specifically for this campaign. We invite you to show your support towards Childhood Cancer awareness by sharing a photo on your social media with our new Gold September frame. We will create collages of pictures of all our members, to show that together we are stronger, and we can make a change.

STEP 1: On any web browser go to https://www.twibbonize.com/goldseptember2024
STEP 2: Upload a photo from your phone or computer.
STEP 3: Download the photo with the frame.
STEP 4: Share the photo on any social media using the hashtag #GoldSeptember2024 

Join us on 27 September for SIOPE’s #WearGoldDay! We invite everyone to wear their brightest gold or yellow outfit in solidarity with this vital cause. Whether you’re with us in person or abroad, snap a photo in your gold-themed attire and send it to office@siope.eu to be featured. Let’s unite, shine together, and make a powerful statement of support for children and families affected by cancer. Discover more and be part of this inspiring event!

For several years, organisations worldwide have built awareness of childhood cancer through the “Light It Up Gold!” campaign. Prominent buildings and monuments around the world have participated in this campaign. This year, we will continue with this tradition and will call upon buildings, institutions, monument owners and authorities to programme their exterior illumination systems to a gold pantone throughout the month of September. If no lighting system is available, we encourage them to prominently display a gold ribbon in the front façade of buildings or offices.

Christ the Redeemer
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
September 19, 2024

Istanbul University Historic Gate
Istanbul, Türkiye
September 19, 2024

Eiffel Tower
Paris, France
September 21, 2024

Join SIOPE’s Virtual Awareness Wall, a global initiative on the Paddlet platform that unites voices to raise awareness of childhood cancer. During Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, this innovative space invites everyone—patients, survivors, healthcare professionals, and supporters—to share powerful stories and messages, creating a lasting legacy of inspiration and advocacy. Your contribution can make a real impact, helping to shine a light on the realities of childhood cancer and fostering a worldwide community of support.

Do not miss out on upcoming activities during Gold September! Mark them in your agenda and check back for updates:

September 8, 2024
WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer “4rd WHO GICC in Tokyo 2023”
Asian Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Group (APHOG), The Asian Continental Branch of SIOP (SIOP Asia) and NGO Magokoro Organization for Childhood Cancer (MOCC) are coorganising this hybrid (online and in-person) event
Programme and Speakers

• Register to join on Sunday, 8 September from 14:00 PM – 19:00 PM JST in person (National Cancer Center Japan, Tokyo).

September 18, 2024
Addressing Childhood Cancer Challenges in Africa
Join Childhood Cancer International Africa for a powerful free webinar addressing childhood cancer challenges in Africa, featuring voices of leaders, parents, and survivors.

• Register Here for 18 September 2024 at 16:00-17:30 CEST
  

September 19, 2024
Light It Up Gold: Christ the Redeemer
Launch event for the campaign to raise awareness and encourage early diagnosis of Retinoblastoma.

• Find out more for the event on Thursday 19 September 2024 at Santuário Cristo Redentor, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
• Recording will be available for free to all SIOP members

September 24, 2024
SIOPE Policy Event 2024
As part of the Gold September – Childhood Cancer Awareness Month campaign, SIOP Europe and CCI Europe are proud to present this annual flagship policy event hosted by MEP Loucas Fourlas (EPP, Cyprus).

• Register to join on Tuesday, 24 September 2024 at 14:00 CEST

September 27, 2024
Gold September: Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
Celebrate Gold September: Childhood Cancer Awareness Month”by attending this event to disseminate the activities of the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer in the Region of the Americas. This webinar will serve to engage key regional and international stakeholders to maximize the success of the implementation of the childhood cancer initiative and connect regional priorities with identified commitments and goals. It will feature presentations from the childhood cancer teams of PAHO, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and other collaborators.

• Register to join Friday, 27 September 2024, at 11:00 A.M. (Washington DC, or EDT)

Watch these #GoldSeptember2024 video messages from Shaukat Khanum Hospital physicians!

Shaukat Khanum Hospitals is the largest network of cancer hospitals in Pakistan, where 75% patients are treated free each year. In 2022, they became the second organization in the world to gain JCI enterprise accreditation.