UCL HUMAN RESOURCES EQUALITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION DIVERSITY CALENDAR 2017-2018
SEPTEMBER 2017
SEPTEMBER 2017 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 2 3 1-4 Eid Ul Adha (Festival of Sacrifice)* (Islam) 8 Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Christian) 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10 Hajj (Pilgrimage)* (Islam) 20-22 Rosh Hashanah (no work permitted - begins sunset of Wednesday, ends nightfall of Friday) (Jewish) 21-30 Navaratri (Hinduism) 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 21 Muharram - New Year* (Islam) 24 Fast of Gedaliah (Judaism) 29-30 Yom Kippur (Judaism) (no work is permitted - begins sunset of Friday, ends nightfall of Saturday) 18 19 20 21 UN International Day of Peace 22 23 Bi Visibility Day 24 Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. It is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, and a day of judgment and coronation of G d as king. 25 26 27 28 29 30 Find out more: www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4644/ jewish/rosh-hashanah.htm Image above: A Jewish man blows shofar for Rosh Hashanah
OCTOBER 2017
OCTOBER 2017 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday October marks Black History Month 1 1 Ashura* (Islam) 4-11 Sukkot (Judaism) (begins sunset o Wednesday, ends nightfall of Wednesday 11 Oct - no work permitted 5-6) Dyslexia Awareness Week 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 11-13 Shemini Atzeret* & Simchat Torah (Judaism) (work not permitted) 17-23 Sukkot* (Judaism) (work not permitted on 17-18 Oct) 9 10 World Mental Health Awareness Day Ada Lovelace Day 11 National Coming out Day 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 19 Diwali (Hindu, Sikh, Jain) 20 Installation of Scriptures as Guru Granth (Sikhism) 31 All Hallow s Eve (Christian) Black History Month Black History Month is an international annual month, celebrating, recognising and valuing the inspirational individuals and events from within the BME communities. During Black History Month, we remember and celebrate the important people from the past and also who contribute to and help our society today. First celebrated in the UK in 1987, Black History Month in the UK is marked annually during the month of October. Find out more: www.officialblackhistorymonthuk.co.uk/ www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/ Image above: UCL students at Black History Month event
NOVEMBER 2017
NOVEMBER 2017 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday National Stress Awareness Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Interfaith Week, 12-19 Remembrance Sunday 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 International Men s Day 1 All Saints Day (Christian) 2 All Souls Day (Christian) 24 Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom (Sikhism) 30 St Andrew s Day (Christian) UK Disability History Month UKDHM is an annual event creating a platform to focus on the history of Disabled People s struggle for equality and human rights. Find out more: http://ukdhm.org/what-is-ukdhm/ 20 Transgender Day of Remembrance 21 22 UK Disability History Month begins 23 24 25 26 Join Enable@UCL, UCL s social network for Disabled Staff: www.mailinglists.ucl.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/enable 27 28 29 30 Image above: UCL Engineering Summer School students standing with the wheelchairs they developed
DECEMBER 2017
DECEMBER 2017 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 2 International Day for the Abolition of Slavery 3 International Day of Persons with Disabilities 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 International Human Rights Day 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 1 Mawlid an Nabi* (Islam) 12-20 Chanukah* (Judaism) 21 Solstice (Wicca/Pagan, Christian) 25 Christmas Day (Christian) 28 Fast of the Tevet 10 (Judaism) Christmas Day Christmas is a Christian holy day that marks the birth of Jesus, the son of God. Find out more: www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/ holydays/christmas_1.shtml 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Christmas Eve Christmas Day 25 Boxing Day 26 27 28 29 30 31 New Year s Eve Image above: Christmas tree under the main Portico at UCL
JANUARY 2018
JANUARY 2018 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday New Year s Day 1 2 3 4 World Braille Day 5 6 7 6 Epiphany (Christian) 8 Fast of Tevet 10 (Judaism) 13 Maghi (Sikhism) 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 22 Vasant Paanchami** (Hinduism) 31 15 Shevat (Judaism) 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 World Religion Day World Braille Day World Braille Day celebrates the birth of Louis Braille, inventor of a system of reading and writing for use by visually impaired people. 22 23 24 25 26 27 National Holocaust Memorial Day 28 Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/louis_braille 29 30 31 Image above: Abstract image of a person reading Braille
FEBRUARY 2018
FEBRUARY 2018 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Febraury marks LGBT History Month 1 2 3 4 13 Shrove Tuesday (Christian) 14 St Valentine s Day (Christian) Maha Shivratri** (Hinduism) Ash Wednesday - Lent begins (Christian) 5 6 International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 16 Chinese New Year 28 Purim (Judaism) (begins sunset of Wednesday, ends nightfall of thursday 1 March - work should be avoided) LGBT History Month LGBT History Month is celebrated in February in the UK but work to challenge homophobia, biphobia and transphobia continues throughout the year. Find out more: lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/ Keep up-to-date with UCL s programme of events: www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/equalities/lgbt/events.php Join out@ucl, a social network for UCL staff, here: www.mailinglists.ucl.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/lgbtstaff-group Become a Friend of Out@UCL here: www.mailinglists.ucl.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/ friends_of_out Image above: UCL Staff and Students at Pride 2017
MARCH 2018
MARCH 2018 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 2 3 4 1 St David s Day (Christian) 3 Holi** (Hinduism) 26 Ramanavmi** (Hinduism) 5 6 7 8 International Women s Day 9 10 11 29 Maundy Thursday (Christian) 30 Pesach (Passover)* (Judaism) (work is not permitted on 31 Mar - 1 Apr and 6-7 April) 31 Hanuman Jayanti** (Hinduism) 12 13 14 15 16 17 St Patrick s Day 18 Holi Holi was originally a spring festival of fertility and harvest. Now it also marks some Hindu legends, which provide some of the ingredients for the celebrations. 19 20 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 21 22 23 24 25 Holi is an ancient festival which is referred to in the 7th century Sanskrit drama, Ratnaval. Find out more: www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/ holydays/holi_1.shtml 26 World Autism Awareness Week 27 28 29 30 Good Friday 31 International Transgender Day of Visibility Image above: UCL Hindu Society students celebrating Holi
APRIL 2018
APRIL 2018 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 Easter Sunday 13 Lailat al Miraj* (Islam) 14 Vaisakhi** (Sikhism) 2 World Autism Awareness Day 3 4 5 6 7 8 23 St. George s Day (Christian) Yom HaShoah* (Judaism) 29 Second Passover (Judaism) Easter Monday 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Vaisakhi Vaisakhi (also spelled Baisakhi) is the festival which celebrates the founding of the Sikh community known as the Khalsa. It is celebrated on April 14 each year. On Vaisakhi day in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh summoned Sikhs from all over India to the city of Anandpur Sahib. At this gathering, the Guru called upon Sikhs to uphold their faith and preserve the Sikh religion. Read more about Vaisakhi here: www.sikhismguide.org/vaisakhi.aspx 23 24 25 26 Lesbian Visibility Day 27 28 29 30 Image above: Sikh gurus at a Vaisakhi festival
MAY 2018
MAY 2018 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 2 3 4 5 6 International Family Equality Day 1 Lailat al Bara ah** (Islam) 3 Lag B Omer* (Judaism) 16 Ramadan begins* (Islam) 7 Mental Health Awareness Week, 8-14 8 9 10 11 12 13 19-21 Shavout* (Judaism) (work is not permitted) 20 Pentecost (Christian) May Day Bank Holiday 14 15 16 17 International Day Against Homophobia 18 19 20 Pentecost Pentecost is the festival when Christians celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is celebrated on the Sunday 50 days after Easter (the name comes from the Greek pentekoste, fiftieth ). It is also called Whitsun, but does not necessarily coincide with the Whitsun Bank Holiday in the UK. 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Pentecost is regarded as the birthday of the Christian church, and the start of the church s mission to the world. 28 May Spring Bank Holiday 29 30 31 Find out more: www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/ holydays/pentecost.shtml Image above: Abstract image of worship in a Church
JUNE 2018
JUNE 2018 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Pride Month 2018 1 2 3 11 Laylat al Kadr* (Islam) 15-17 Eid al Fitr* (Islam) 16 Guru Arjan martyrdom (Sikhism) 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 21 Summer Solstice (Wicca/Pagan) 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 National Women in Engineering Day is a day dedicated to raising the profile and celebrating the achievements of women in engineering. UCL Women is a network for academic staff (postdoc and above) in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). 18 19 20 21 22 National Women in Engineering Day 23 24 For more information and to join the network visit: uclwomen.org/ 25 26 27 28 29 30 Image above: UCL Engineering celebrating National Women in Engineering Day
JULY 2018
JULY 2018 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 1-22 The Three Weeks (Judaism) 13-15 Obon ** (Buddhist) 25 St James the Great Day (Christian) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 27 Dharma Day (Buddhist) The 15th of Av (Judaism) 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Obon Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one s ancestors. This Buddhist- Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori. 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/bon_festival 30 31 Image above: Sugamo Bon Odori Festival, Japan
AUGUST 2018
AUGUST 2018 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 2 3 4 5 20-21 Waqf al Arafa - Hajj Day* (Islam) 22-25 Eid-ul-Adha* (Islam) 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 29 Beheading of St. John the Baptist (Christian) Raksha Bandhan ** (Hinduism) 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Eid-ul-Adha Eid-ul-Adha ( festival of Sacrifice ), also known as the Greater Eid, is the second most important festival in the Muslim calendar. The festival remembers the prophet Ibrahim s willingness to sacrifice his son when God ordered him to. 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Find out more here: www.bbc.co.uk/schools/religion/islam/eid_haj. shtml 27 Late Summer Bank Holiday 28 29 30 31 Image above: Prayer at Jama Masjid, Old Delhi
At UCL it has been agreed that student requests to be absent due to religious commitments should be dealt with sympathetically by departments. Students should not be registered as absent without good cause if they are absent due to religious commitments, provided this has been discussed and agreed with their tutor. Staff wishing to observe religious festivals and holy days should negotiate with their managers in advance. Managers in turn are encouraged to consider sympathetically requests for annual leave or flexible work schedules from staff wishing to participate in religious festivals and to be prepared to make reasonable adjustments to working arrangements as long as they don t cause undue disruption. Each academic year, a calendar of the main religious holidays is available so these can be taken into account by departments with reference to drafting teaching timetables, coursework deadlines and field trips etc. Please note that the effect of these festivals will vary from person to person, and they will not necessarily impact on staff or students time whilst at university (for example they are celebrated in the evening or at weekends). The above dates are not intended to be a prescriptive list. Staff, students, parents or members of the public are welcome to contact the equalities team (equalities@ucl.ac.uk) to suggest other noteworthy dates. * Holy days usually begin at sundown the day before this date. ** Local or regional customs may use a variation of this date. Useful Links: Religion & Belief: guidance for UCL managers www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/equalities/belief/religion_belief_guidance_for_managers.pdf Religion & Belief Equality Policy for Students www.ucl.ac.uk/academic-manual/part-5/religion-belief-equality Supporting Muslim staff during Ramadan www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/equalities/belief/ramadan.php Interfaith Calendar www.interfaith-calendar.org/ Jewish holidays and festivals www.chabad.org/holidays/default_cdo/jewish/holidays.htm Sarah Guise Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Tel: 020 3108 8889 Email: s.guise@ucl.ac.uk Mike Higgins Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Manager Tel: 020 3108 8877 Email: m.higgins@ucl.ac.uk Teresa Williams Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Manager Tel: 020 3108 8860 Email: teresa.williams@ucl.ac.uk Sonal Bharadva Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Advisor Tel: 020 3108 8890 Email: s.bharadva@ucl.ac.uk Fiona McClement Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Manager Tel: 020 3108 8888 Email: f.mcclement@ucl.ac.uk For general enquiries email: equalities@ucl.ac.uk Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/equalities Thank you to UCL Faculty of Engineering, UCL Hindu Society and Out@UCL for the use of images.