{"id":38268,"date":"2024-02-27T00:07:14","date_gmt":"2024-02-27T00:07:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/?p=38268"},"modified":"2024-02-27T00:07:16","modified_gmt":"2024-02-27T00:07:16","slug":"13-harmony-week-celebrations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/cospedia\/13-harmony-week-celebrations","title":{"rendered":"13 Ways Schools can Celebrate Harmony Week\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The Origins of Harmony Week<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In 1960, South Africa was firmly segregated under Apartheid (a word meaning \u201capartness\u201d in Afrikaans), with Black South Africans and other non-Caucasian racial groups being restricted from large parts of the country. So called \u201cpass laws\u201d worked as a kind of internal passport, heavily restricting the movement of anyone other than white South Africans. On March 21 of 1960, a group of around 7000 Black South Africans were protesting the pass laws in the township of Sharpeville. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Although some reports state that the protesters were throwing stones, many others say the protest was non-violent. When the protesters approached the Sharpeville police station, the police inside opened fire, killing 69 of the protesters and injuring a further 180. This tragic event became known as the Sharpeville Massacre<\/a> and was the catalyst for what we now call Harmony Week.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Six years after the Sharpeville Massacre the United Nations declared, in condemnation of Apartheid and in honour of the protesters, that March 21<\/span>st<\/span> of every year would be the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. This event has been celebrated by many nations, including Australia, ever since. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

In 1999, the Australian government decided to extend the celebration to encompass the entire week surrounding the 21<\/span>st<\/span> of March. This new weeklong celebration of diversity and multiculturalism was called Harmony Week. Since its inception, Harmony Week has seen over 80,000 events celebrating the wide variety of cultures in Australia.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Celebrating Harmony Week at School <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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School is the perfect venue for celebrating Harmony Week thanks to the diverse and inclusive nature of student bodies. Fostering an environment where students from various cultural backgrounds come together to learn and grow is a concept close to the hearts of teachers across the nation. Within the school setting, Harmony Week offers a unique opportunity to showcase and celebrate the richness of cultural diversity present among students and staff. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The week offers students and faculty the opportunity\u00a0to share their unique traditions, languages, and customs, promoting understanding and appreciation among peers. Through activities such as cultural performances, traditional food tastings, and interactive workshops, schools can create vibrant and immersive experiences that encourage dialogue, respect, and unity among students regardless of their cultural\u00a0backgrounds.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Celebrating Harmony Week in schools aligns seamlessly with the Department of Education\u2019s mission of promoting tolerance, respect, and intercultural understanding. By integrating Harmony Week activities into the curriculum, schools can provide students with valuable opportunities to learn about cultural diversity, social cohesion, and global citizenship.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Harmony Week experiences can not only enrich a student’s understanding of the world around them but also equip them with essential skills for navigating an increasingly interconnected and multicultural society. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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13 Harmony Week Events for Schools <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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There are <\/span>numerous<\/span> ways schools can celebrate Harmony Week and advance cultural diversity and inclusion in the student body. Creating opportunities for <\/span>students<\/span> to engage with one another across cultural boundaries<\/span> and<\/span> cultivating a <\/span>school<\/span> environment that <\/span>is\u00a0inclusive<\/span> should be a key goal for any event<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Cultural Performances <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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P<\/span>erformances <\/span>showcasing<\/span> traditional dances, music, and songs from <\/span>different<\/span> cultures<\/span> represented in the school community<\/span> can expose the school to <\/span>diverse cultures<\/span> in<\/span> a fun and spectacular way<\/span>.<\/span> As an example<\/span>, and depending on the backgrounds of students<\/span>, a school could have a dance recital <\/span>featuring<\/span> traditional Kathak <\/span>or Bhangra<\/span> from India, Dabke from the Middle East, <\/span>Barong o<\/span>r<\/span> Kekak<\/span> from Indonesia,<\/span> Yangge<\/span> from China<\/span>,<\/span> an Australian First Nations <\/span>dance,<\/span> and<\/span> a Haka from New Zealand<\/span>.<\/span> \u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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International Food Fair <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Schools can h<\/span>ost a food fair <\/span>during <\/span>which<\/span> students and families can share and enjoy dishes from different countries.<\/span> Families can bring<\/span> in examples of their national cuisine to share, or<\/span>, if a<\/span> school<\/span> has a policy of not allowing parent catering, they<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>can cater an event with national dishes from different nations<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Cultural Workshops <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Schools can c<\/span>onduct workshops <\/span>in which<\/span> students can learn about <\/span>different cultural<\/span> practices, such as<\/span> traditional crafts <\/span>like<\/span> calligraphy, origami,<\/span> or batik,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>traditional cooking.<\/span> Cultural workshops could also be combined with the International Food Fair by having students learn how to cook different traditional dishes and then sharing them with other classes or groups who have cooked di<\/span>fferent foods.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Language Exchange Sessions <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Holding<\/span> language exchange sessions where students can teach and learn basic phrases in languages spoken by their peers<\/span> can really help to bond a group and instil an appreciation for <\/span>different cultures<\/span>.<\/span> These<\/span> sessions can also feature written language to illustrate how <\/span>different cultures<\/span> view the written word, <\/span>including the difference between individual letters and complex characters, or reading direction, <\/span>such as<\/span> Arabic, <\/span>Hebrew<\/span> and Urd<\/span>u<\/span> reading right to left<\/span>, or traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese being read vertically.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Traditional Attire Day <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Schools can e<\/span>ncourage students and staff to dress in traditional attire <\/span>representing<\/span> their cultural heritage.<\/span> For example, s<\/span>tudents<\/span> could<\/span> come to school wearing <\/span>colourful<\/span> saris, hanboks, kimonos, kurtas, dashikis<\/span> and the like<\/span>, celebrating the diversity of clothing styles.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Storytelling Sessions <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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C<\/span>ommunity members<\/span>, family and cultural groups can be invited to school<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>to share folktales, myths, or personal stories from their cultural backgrounds.<\/span> These stories can lead to discussion of differences and similarities between creation myths, or lessons about the real historical events that prompted personal stories.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Art Exhibitions <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Students can be encouraged to paint, draw, sculpt or print artworks reflecting their cultural identity, depicting<\/span> scenes or events from their culture or native country, or otherwise celebrating diversity<\/a>. These artworks can then be displayed to the rest o<\/span>f the student body and <\/span>parents.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Multicultural Sports Day <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Schools can organise sporting event or friendly matches featuring games from diverse cultures around the world. Examples of sports that could be taught and enjoyed including: <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>