On Thursday October 1st, UPMC along with the city of Pittsburgh declared the month of October “Dignity and Respect” month. For the entire month, people are encouraged to follow 30 tips in order to promote dignity and respect in the community.

According to the community initiative, “Dignity and respect are crucial to building and sustaining an environment in which everyone feels included, valued, and appreciated.” Smart Futures not only supports this cause, but we had the pleasure of attending the first annual opening event as well. During the event, community leaders stressed the importance of including everyone in the community. They proposed the best way to ensure inclusion is by displaying dignity through individual behavior and giving respect to others. At Smart Futures, we agree and have pledged our support to uphold these values.

During the afternoon portion of the event, an education discussion panel presented new ideas and answered questions for a community audience. Romy Banks, Director of Outreach at Smart Futures,  participated on the panel to introduce our PA eMentoring program. We received a lot of great interest in the program and some audience praise from a past eMentor. The event was quite the success and we encourage everyone to pledge their support for dignity and respect in the community.    

For more information go to: www.dignityandrespectcampaign.com