January 2015 Preview. This is in addition to multi-faith and other equality date reminders.

Transcription

1 January 2015 Preview As you prepare for a busy 2015 we will be providing more reminders and asking some key questions. Taking a minute or two to reflect on these daily diversity updates will help us to embed equality in everything we do. On your January pages: Religion and belief Key definitions and statistics Learner views Workplace guidance Useful websites and resources Abrahamic or Ibrahamic religions Dharmic or Indic religions Social, moral, spiritual and cultural development This is in addition to multi-faith and other equality date reminders.

2 Holocaust Memorial Day Tuesday 27 th January, 2015 Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) is the international day of remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust and other genocides. Marks the anniversary of the date of the liberation of Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. HMD sets out to motivate people to make sure that the horrendous crimes committed during the Holocaust and in more recent genocides, are neither forgotten nor repeated. The 2015 theme is Keep the memory alive. Information and resources are available at the official website World Religion Day Sunday 18 th January, 2015 Created by the Bahai faith in 1950, this day promotes interfaith understanding and harmony. Through a variety of events held around the globe followers of every religion are encouraged to acknowledge similarities of different faiths. Multifaith Dates January, st Circumcision (Christian) New Year's Day (Secular) Oshogatsu (or Shogatsu) (Shinto) Festival of St Basil the Great (Christian) 3 rd Milad un Nabi (Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad) (Muslim) 5 th Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh (Nanakshahi calendar) (Sikh) 6 th Epiphany (Christian) Christmas Day (Armenian Orthodox) (Christian) Theophany (Orthodox) (Christian) 7 th Christmas Day (Orthodox) (Christian) Christmas Day (Ethiopian) (Rastafari) 8 th Milad un Nabi (Shia) (Muslim) 11 th Baptism of the Lord (Christian) 13 th St Hilary's Day (Christian) 14 th Makar Sankranti (Hindu) 15 th Seijin Shiki (Adults' Day) (Shinto) 18 th Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (start) (Christian) 21 st St Agnes (Christian) 25th St Paul's Day (Christian) 28th St Thomas Aquinas (Christian) 31 st Birthday of Guru Har Rai (Nanakshahi calendar) (Sikh) Some regional variations possible, based on the Western calendar, not claimed to be an exhaustive list.

3 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 5 th 6 th 7 th 8 th 9 th 10 th 11 th 12 th 13 th 14 th 15 th 16 th 17 th 18 th 19 th 20 th 21 st 22 nd 23 rd 24 th 25 th 26 th 27 th 28 th 29 th 30 th 31 st - Driving diversity, embedding equality - Equality is the soul of liberty; there is, in fact, no liberty without it Frances Wright, Lecturer, Writer and Freethinker ( ) January - Equality Planner st Bank Holiday 2 nd 3 rd 4 th

4 My notes:

5 Thursday, 1 st January 2015 Bank Holiday Multifaith today: Circumcision (Christian) New Year's Day (Secular) Oshogatsu (or Shogatsu) (Shinto) Festival of St Basil the Great (Christian)

6 Friday, 2 nd January 2015 Happy new year! Have you made any new year resolutions? Perhaps if you look back to December and the things you recorded as wanting to achieve in 2014, you could build these in? Don t forget you can flick through your diary at any time to plan ahead or get new ideas. Reminder in one month LGBT History Month (February, whole month)

7 Saturday, 3 rd January 2015 Multifaith today: Milad un Nabi (Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad) (Muslim) Sunday, 4 th January 2015 Today is... World Braille Day Celebrated every year on 4th January around the world to commemorate the birthday of Louis Braille. Louis Braille is credited with inventing the Braille language which helps blind people to read as well as write.

8 Monday, 5 th January 2015 Multifaith today: Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh (Nanakshahi calendar) (Sikh) Religion and Belief To mark World Religion Day (18/1) we will be taking a look at equality in this area over the next few entries. Despite falling numbers Christianity remains the largest religion in England and Wales (Census, 2011). Muslims are the next biggest religious group and have grown in the last decade. Meanwhile the proportion of the population who reported they have no religion has now reached a quarter of the population. Reminder in one month World Cancer Day (4/2)

9 Tuesday, 6 th January 2015 Multifaith today: Epiphany (Christian) Christmas Day (Armenian Orthodox) (Christian) Theophany (Orthodox) (Christian) Religion, Faith and Belief what s the difference? Religion can be explained as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs (BBC religion page). Faith indicates strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual conviction rather than proof. Belief indicates an acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof, and represents trust, faith, or confidence in (someone or something).

10 Wednesday, 7 th January 2015 Multifaith today: Christmas Day (Orthodox) (Christian) Christmas Day (Ethiopian) (Rastafari) The Equality Act 2010 and Religion and Belief equality at a glance... The protected characteristic of religion or belief includes any religion and any religious or philosophical belief. It also includes a lack of any such religion or belief A religion need not be mainstream or well known to gain protection. However, it must be identifiable and have a clear structure and belief system Denominations or sects within religions may be considered a religion. Cults and new religious movements may also be considered religions or beliefs Religious belief goes beyond beliefs about, and adherence to, a religion or its central articles of faith and may vary from person-to-person

11 Thursday, 8 th January 2015 Multifaith today: Milad un Nabi (Shia) (Muslim) The Equality Act 2010 and Religion and Belief equality at a glance... A belief which is not a religious belief may be a philosophical belief, such as Humanism or Atheism. A belief need not include faith or worship of a god or gods, but must affect how a person lives their life or perceives the world. A political belief or viewpoint is an example of what would not be covered The Act provides protection against discrimination, harassment and victimisation on the grounds of religion or belief In the provision of goods, facilities and services, the Act prohibits discrimination and victimisation but not harassment because of religion or belief. However, many of the actions that may be considered as acts of harassment may also be considered acts of direct discrimination, for which there is protection

12 Friday, 9 th January 2015 Test your knowledge... What are the six most followed religions in the UK? Answer: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism.

13 Saturday, 10 th January 2015 Sunday, 11 th January 2015 Multifaith today: Baptism of the Lord (Christian)

14 Monday, 12 th January 2015 Religion and Belief in Adult Learning: Learner Views The Skills Funding Agency commissioned research to carry out a study of learners' views on religion and belief in adult learning. The report s reinforced the importance of the following: Demonstrating how bullying and harassment are not tolerated Promoting equality of belief should include reference to non-religious beliefs Monitoring of learners religion and/or belief requires sensitive consultation and clear communication about how the data will be used

15 Tuesday, 13 th January 2015 Multifaith today: St Hilary's Day (Christian) Religion, belief and the media We should remember learner knowledge on this topic could be limited to what they are exposed to via popular media, newspapers for example. We cannot read every newspaper or read every tweet but a general awareness will help us keep up-to-date and can inspire new strategies for encouraging learners to take advantage of the support available to help them succeed. Inclusive practices will be an important part of your learners careers too, so this is another way of preparing them for the challenges ahead. Reminder in one week World Religion Day (20/1)

16 Wednesday, 14 th January 2015 Multifaith today: Makar Sankranti (Hindu) What else does the UK Census tell us about religion? Muslims are the most ethnically diverse, Christians the oldest and Hindus are the most likely not to be born in the UK. Christianity has had a boost from people born overseas, nearly half of Muslims in England and Wales are under 25 and Hindus are the least likely of all the religious groups to be born in the UK according to Census data.

17 Thursday, 15 th January 2015 Multifaith today: Seijin Shiki (Adults' Day) (Shinto) Religion, demographics and benchmarking Source religion data for your local demographic (you could try Census information or your local authority) and compare this with your learner and/or staff data. How do the profiles differ? Are there any communities that are under-represented or underachieving?

18 Friday, 16 th January 2015 Religion and Belief Workplace Guidance (EHRC) In January 2013, the European Court of Human Rights (the Court) published its judgments in four combined cases about religious rights in the workplace. The cases were brought by Christians, but the implications of the judgment apply to employees with any religion or belief, or none. The judgment affects employer responsibilities for policies and practices protecting religion or belief rights in the workplace, the rights of employees (including job applicants) and the rights of customers.

19 Saturday, 17 th January 2015 Sunday, 18 th January 2015 Multifaith today: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (start) (Christian) Today is... World Religion Day This day promotes interfaith understanding and harmony. Through a variety of events held around the globe followers of every religion are encouraged to acknowledge similarities of different faiths. Useful link

20 Monday, 19 th January 2015 Useful Religion and belief equality websites: BBC guide to different religions Religious holidays and festivals Equality Challenge Unit religion page

21 Tuesday, 20 th January 2015 Religion and belief in the workplace and learning environment - just a few examples! Religious observance in the workplace - Regulations specify that employers must provide time for religious or belief observance in the workplace. Prayer - It is good practice to designate a quiet area for the purpose of prayer or contemplation. Time off for religious festivals or spiritual observance days - employers should consider if it is practical for the people to be away from work and have sufficient holiday entitlement. Procedures - You should have clear, reasonable procedures for handling requests for leave. Clothing / Jewellery Be careful specific dress codes do not conflict with dress requirements of some religions. This may constitute indirect discrimination unless there is clear justification. Reminder in one week Holocaust Memorial Day (27/1)

22 Wednesday, 21 st January 2015 Multifaith today: St Agnes (Christian) The Eweida Ruling The ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that a Christian employee had her human rights breached by not being allowed to wear a visible cross at work has been heralded by some commentators as a landmark event. Nadia Eweida took her case to the ECHR after being sent home from her role at British Airways after she refused to remove a cross that was at odds with the company's dress code. Reminder in one month International Mother Language Day (21/2)

23 Thursday, 22 nd January 2015 Abrahamic or Ibrahamic Religions The Abrahamic or Ibrahimic religions all came into being in the Middle East. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are monotheistic religions (belief in one god). Judaism is probably the first monotheistic religion anywhere. Judaism and Christianity share the Old Testament of the Bible, which in Judaism is called the Tanakh. Always remember people around you will have their own personal interpretation of their faith.

24 Friday, 23 rd January 2015 Dharmic or Indic Religions Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhí are separate religions, but come from the same cultural background. Customs and practises vary enormously and not all minority ethnic groups are religious. Some may follow cultural practises which they think are an integral part of their faith. Always ask, do not make assumptions! A good interpretation of Dharm would be a way of righteousness. The Dharmic Religions are low on doctrines and emphasise a positively good way of life.

25 Saturday, 24 th January 2015 Sunday, 25 th January 2015 Multifaith today: St Paul's Day (Christian)

26 Monday, 26 th January 2015 What does SMSC mean? This stands for spiritual, moral, social and cultural, often referred to in terms of learner development. Reminder in one week LGBT History Month

27 Tuesday, 27 th January 2015 Today is... Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) This is the international day of remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust and of other genocides. On it, we commemorate victims, honour survivors and commit to tackling prejudice, discrimination and racism in the present day. Keep the memory alive is the theme for Holocaust Memorial Day th January is the anniversary of the date of the liberation of Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Information and resources available at

28 Wednesday, 28 th January 2015 Multifaith today: St Thomas Aquinas (Christian) What does the CIF say in terms of SMSC and teaching, learning and assessment? Equality and diversity are promoted through teaching and learning Para 176 states that inspectors should take into account: Whether learning activities motivate and engage all learners, whatever their age, ability and cultural background, and that they are suitably demanding The impact that teaching has in promoting the learners spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Reminder in one week World Cancer Day (4/2)

29 Thursday, 29 th January 2015 An inspection perspective... What are the aspects of SMSC? An Ofsted representative presented to the FE Providers Equality Network in They gave the following perspective: Spiritual - the development of the non-material aspects of a human being Moral - building a framework of moral values, aligned with law of the land, regulating personal behaviour... Social - It is about the development of the skills and personal qualities necessary for living and working together in harmony and making a positive contribution... Cultural - developing an understanding of own culture and heritage, and other cultures in the local town, region and in the country as a whole... To access the full presentation go to:

30 Friday, 30 th January 2015 Faith, religion and belief can be a difficult topic to cover if you are lacking a reliable and neutral source of information. The BBC have some good resources at and you may also find the All Faiths and None website useful

31 Saturday, 31 st January 2015 Multifaith today: Birthday of Guru Har Rai (Nanakshahi calendar) (Sikh)

32 My notes: