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Harmony Week is the celebration that recognises our diversity and brings together Australians from all different backgrounds.

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7 ways to celebrate Harmony Day at Work :- )

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7 ways to celebrate Harmony Day at Work :- )

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Embrace the mosaic that is Australia's workforce with these wonderful ways to celebrate Harmony Day at the office.

We're an incredibly diverse nation, here in Australia, and with that comes colourful festivals and celebrations, beautiful traditional clothing and of course, delicious, unique cuisines.

So celebrate our beautiful multicultural society by embracing Harmony Day at your workplace - it's easier than you may think!

What is Harmony Day?

Falling on 21 March 2023, Harmony Day is "about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone," according to the Australian government.

Since its origin of celebrating Australia's diversity in 1999, Harmony Day has actually become Harmony week, with seven days of celebrations running from 20-26 March, 2023.

When is Harmony Day?

Monday, 21 March, 2023. Harmony week runs from 20-16 March, 2023. It coincides with the United Nations' International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Harmony Day activities to try at work

Across the country, there's dozens of Harmony week events taking place, from traditional art workshops to storytelling in libraries, cultural performances to international eats.

Here's a few ideas on how you can bring some Harmony Day activities right into your office to celebrate the cultural diversity right at your workplace and learn about the cultures and traditions of each employee.

Host a potluck lunch

There's just something oh-so-comforting about home-made foods, cooked from family recipes that have been passed on from generation to generation.

Invite everyone to bring in one of their favourite dishes they had growing up and we're sure you'll end up with quite the international feast!

A week of feasts for Harmony week

Harmony Day is now Harmony Week, so why not turn it into a whole day of feasting?

Embrace all the different cultures in your workplace, learn about some traditional foods, and order it in. Each day of the week can focus on different regions of the world, or just make it totally random each day.

Consider asking the team what some of their favourite restaurants are or have a browse through our marketplace. We offer foods from dozens of different cuisine types that can be ordered and conveniently billed on just one invoice.

Wear your favourite traditional clothing

Another day another black, grey or navy suit? Ditch it! Skip suits for the day and wear something that's traditionally worn in your home country, where your heritage lies or in the country you're currently living in.

Just be sure to do so respectively and avoid cultural appropriation, no matter which of those applies to you.

Or... Just wear Orange

If you don't have traditional clothes to wear, consider throwing on something orange; it's the offical colour of Harmony Day. Signifying commutation and conversation, orange gathers attention and is considered to be a strong colour.

You may also want to decorate your office with a splash or two of orange. We're thinking orange flowers or orange tablecloths under your potluck feast.

Language

Alright, we don't expect you to learn an entire language in just one day, but a few words of phrases is certainly manageable!

How nice would it be to hear hello or be asked how you are in your native tongue when in the workplace every now and then? It's a really simple way of showing interest in your colleagues and showing you care about them as people and not just as a fellow employee.
Why not even combine a few of these ideas?
If you're bringing in a local dish, teach everyone the name of what they're eating, and if you're wearing a traditional piece of clothing, let your colleagues know what the proper name of it is.

Organise an outing to a nearby Harmony Week event

There are dozens of Harmony Week events being help right across Australia, so why not see if there are any happening in your local community, gather the team together and organise an excursion. You may get to try new foods, hear a story or two about growing up in another culture, see beautiful works of art or hear some traditional music.
See a list of Harmony Day and Harmony Week events here

Volunteer with your team

Either on Harmony Day itself or one day during Harmony Week, get the team together and volunteer at a charity, invite a speaker in from a not-for-profit or make use of free workshop ideas from groups that support minority groups in Australia or work to eradicate racial discrimination.

A few include:

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7 ways to celebrate Harmony Day at work | EatFirst

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Embrace your the mosaic that is Australia's workforce with these wonderful ways to celebrate Harmony Day at the office.

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How to say Hello/How are you in Mandarin

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How to say Hello/How are you in Mandarin

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One of my favourite sayings is:

"People will forget what you said,

People will forget what you did,

But people will never forget how you made them feel"

(Maya Angelou, American poet and civil rights activist) which is a very relevant sentiment for Harmony Week. It is a privilege to work with such a diverse group of staff and students here in the Medicine & Health Faculty. Marianne x

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This is one of the most authentic Egyptian dishes that my country is so popular with. The dish's name is Koshary, a mix of black lentils, rice, pasta (yes both), tomato sauce, fried onions and chickpeas. It always reminds me of the taste of Egypt when I cook it. (Photo is just from internet search)

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I wish each and everyone a happy Harmony Week, celebrating the unique diversity of our community. Just to note.. When we welcome someone in the Arabic language we say, Marhaba, which means welcome. or we say, Salam, means Peace on you. Regards, Dr Heba Azer

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Dear Colleagues,

Harmony Day is a special reminder to celebrate our cultural diversity – a day of cultural respect for everyone. We greatly value the cultural diversity present in our faculty, university and community.

To mark the occasion, we invite you to our Harmony Week Padlet where we would love to see:

- traditional food from your country;

- greetings in your own language;

- picture of you and / your family in traditional dress;

- uplifting quote or saying;

- any other positive images or words which has cultural significance for you! :- )

Happy Harmony day everyone!

Heba, Michael, Marianne and Xiao

Dr Heba Azer and Associate Professor Michael Lee (Cultural & Linguistic Diversity Network Co-Leads), Ms Marianne Colbert (EDI Manager) and Professor Xiaoqi Feng (Chair of EDI)

UNSW Faculty of Medicine and Health Equity Diversity and Inclusion Committee (MHEDIC)

https://www.unsw.edu.au/medicine-health/about-us/our-culture/equity-diversity-inclusion

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In Vietnamese traditional dress Áo dài. Happy Harmony Day! Regards, Danielle

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We love cooking & eating with friends...

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We love cooking & eating with friends...

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We love to set a beautiful table and cook for as many people as we can fit around our big table. I'm looking forward to Easter so we spend some time in the kitchen. Happy Harmony Day!

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Grateful that this country offered a home to those escaping war-torn Europe in the 1940s. In exchange for free passage, over 170,000 Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians arrived in Australia during the late 40's/early 50s. This is a record of my father arriving at an Australian immigrant camp, aged 5. May we continue to welcome those escaping war and other atrocities.

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Happy Harmony Week everyone :)

Sharing a picture of a Korean food (hand-made!!) that we love to share with families and friends - a must have for picnics and celebrations! Christina

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In the CBD and need a new place to relax, gaze at beautiful scenery and even spot huge colourful carp in a lake, this place might be for you. If you are hungry, check out my second post :- ) Xiao

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Chinese Garden of Friendship - Things to do in Sydney | Darling Harbour

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Chinese Garden of Friendship, unique things to do in Sydney, what to do in Darling harbour, things to do in Sydney with kids.

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Delicious Yum Cha next door to the Chinese Garden of Friendship

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Delicious Yum Cha next door to the Chinese Garden of Friendship

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Super delicious Yum Cha with beautiful views of the Garden. Must try! Xiao

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Modern Chinese Restaurant | Lotus Dining

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Lotus Dumpling Bar in Circular Quay / Walsh Bay / Summer Hill

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Craving for authentic dumplings with wine and beer to match? Lotus Dumpling Bar is re-open for take away and delivery services. Pre-order here!

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"Harmony makes small things grow, lack of it makes great things decay."

Gaius Sallustius Crispus - Roman historian circa 40BC

More than 2000 years later, this remains clear and true. Nurture, foresight and hope are important in all that we do and all that we are.

Happy Harmony Day

Jason