2018 DIVERSITY CALENDAR Keele Communities Together
Keele University Equality Objectives 2015-2020 The Keele equality objectives have been developed in line with the University s duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the public sector equality duty. The objectives have been developed in collaboration with our staff, students, and Staff Unions. The equality objectives support all three aims of the general duty (to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality, and foster good relations) and are specific and measurable. Further information can be obtained via the following link keele.ac.uk/equalitydiversity/equalityanddiversitystrategy/
INTRODUCTION Keele is a diverse, inclusive and professional community that respects individual s and enables them to strive for success in order to contribute positively and sustainably in the local region, wider society and national economy. Our students, academics and professional staff are drawn from over 100 different countries. That rich mix of cultures and our strong sense of community and cohesion provide opportunities for all staff and students to live, work and socialise in an internationalised environment. This enhances our global outlook and helps Keele act as a local and regional gateway to the rest of the world. Keele are committed to ensuring everyone is treated equally and it is for this reason that we place our Keele community at the heart of everything that we do. Keele strive to be one of the leading Universities in the country by creating a positive environment where everybody is valued and is able to reach their potential. The Keele Communities Together Working Group is made up of representatives from across the University and students unions. It aims to ensure that Keele continues to be a stimulating and inspirational learning community with a rich and diverse social and cultural life, committed to the safeguarding of freedom of expression, and tolerant of diverse views and beliefs, balanced alongside the promotion of good relations on campus, tackling intolerance and operating within the existing legal framework. The Keele diversity calendar has been created to use as a practical resource which includes all of the main religious festivals and major national and international days of celebration or memorial. The purpose of the calendar is to recognise world faiths currently represented within our community. Diversity Champions Scheme Keele are proud to have a small group of Diversity Champions who provide a unique way of mainstreaming all the important work that is already being achieved at Keele. Our Champions are the conduit for disseminating information, driving behavioural and cultural change across the organisation and link equality, diversity and inclusion into corporate objectives of the organisation. Our Keele Champions are able to assist us to raise awareness and are ambassadors of the model behaviour that is a fundamental part of the dignity and respect frameworks at Keele. If you are a member of the Keele community and would like to make a difference and become a Diversity Champion, please contact the Equalities team. In the spirit of diversity we welcome any feedback or suggestions you can make towards the development of our calendar. keele.ac.uk/equalitydiversity Lisa - 01782 733339 Caroline - 01782 7 34240 l.m.porter@keele.ac.uk c.a.farnell@keele.ac.uk
SUNDAY 1 MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 2 3 4 5 6 New Year s Day Temple day - Buddhism Mahayana New Year - Buddhism Guru Gobind Singh s birthday Sikhism Epiphany Christianity 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Makar Sankranti - Hinduism World Religion day 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Robert Burns Night (Scotland) Holocaust Memorial Day 28 29 30 31 Tu B Shavat - Judaism Tu B Shavat - Judaism JANUARY 2018 THE KEELE DIVERSITY CALENDAR
LGBT History month: Love knows no name. Love knows no gender. Universe heard my claim for one heart s mender. Keele University is an open and integrated community where we strive to be a place where learning, living and working is a positive experience for all. University can be a great time to explore and understand your sexuality and gender identity. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans students are a vibrant and active community at Keele and are supported by the University s Dignity and Respect agenda promoting diversity keele.ac.uk/lgbt/ Sexual violence Awareness Week: There is a world Where I can hide And no one can ever Find me. I can t be hurt. I can t be touched. I hide inside of me Keele University is committed to promoting a safe and supportive Campus environment for each and every member of our community. The Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Team are here to support students who have experienced sexual violence, whether it is recent or historic. Our Sexual Violence Liaison Officers (SVLO s) are specially trained to deal with these situations and will treat each case with sensitivity and respect. For further information see keele.ac.uk/sexualviolence/
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY LGBT+ History Month 1 2 3 Imbolc Paganism 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Sexual Violence Awareness Week 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Darwin Day Shrove Tuesday Christianity Maha Shivaratri - Hinduism Ash Wednesday - First day of Lent Orthodox Christianity Parinirvana (Nirvana day) - Buddhism Chinese New Year (Year of the dog) 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Student volunteering week World Thinking Day 25 26 27 28 Purim Judaism FEBRUARY 2018 THE KEELE DIVERSITY CALENDAR
International Women s Day The Athena SWAN Charter recognises commitment to advancing gender equality in academia, further actions are in put in place to advance towards the Silver level. To find out more see keele.ac.uk/athenaswan/ Keep an eye out for the events happening as part of IWD keele.ac.uk/ilas/whatson/ In 2018, we celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the womens vote www.parliament.uk/1866
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 Holiday Hinduism University Mental Heath and Wellbeing Day St David s Day (Patron Saint of Wales) Christianity 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 International Women s Day British Science Week 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 St Patrick s Day (Patron Saint of Ireland) 18 19 20 Naw-Ruz Bahá ísm Spring Equinox (first day of Spring) 21 International day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination World Poetry day Ostara (Spring Equinox) Paganism 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Rama Navami - Hinduism Palm Sunday - Christianity Maundy Thursday Christianity Good Friday Christianity International day of Transgender visibility Pesach (Passover) - Judaism MARCH 2018 THE KEELE DIVERSITY CALENDAR
Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar. It celebrates the resurrection from the dead of Jesus, three days after he was executed. The Easter story is at the heart of Christianity. Baisakhi, also spelled Vaisakhi, is the festival which celebrates Sikh New Year and the founding of the Sikh community, known as the Khalsa, in 1699. It was originally a harvest festival in the Punjab before it became the Sikh s most important festival. The Pagan festival known as Beltane is celebrated by the Pagan faith and marks the beginning of the third quarter of the ancient Celtic year. This holiday marks the union between the goddess and the god which symbolises harvesting of crops as the time of fertility and harvest.
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Easter Sunday - Christianity festival World Autism Awareness Day World Health Day 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Vaisakhi/Baisakhi Sikhism 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 St George s Day (Patron Saint of England) 29 30 Beltane - Paganism APRIL 2018 THE KEELE DIVERSITY CALENDAR
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and a time when Muslims across the world will fast during the hours of daylight. Ramadan is the fourth of the fi ve pillars of Islam. The Qur an was fi rst revealed to the Prophet Muhammad during this month. The actual night that the Qur an was revealed is a night known as Lailut ul-qadr ( The Night of Power ) Mental Health Awareness The Counselling and Mental Health Support team are committed to helping you get the best from your time at Keele. We offer 1-2-1 Counselling alongside lots of group based therapy. We also have a mental health support service. In addition to the Support team, a series of helpful links are available to support our Keele Community via the following links keele.ac.uk/mentalhealth/ keele.ac.uk/studentcounselling/someusefullinks selfhelpguides.ntw.nhs.uk/keele/
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 3 4 5 Beltane Paganism 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Early May Bank holiday (England) Mental Health Awareness Week (8th 14th) 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 World Falun Dafa Day Falun Gong Ramadan Begins Islam International Day against Homophobia (IDAHOBIT) 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Shavuot Pentecost/Feast of Weeks - Judaism Shavuot Pentecost/Feast of Weeks - Judaism World Day for Cultural Diversity Shavuot Pentecost/Feast of Weeks - Judaism 27 28 29 30 31 Spring Bank Holiday UK Vesak - Buddhism MAY 2018 THE KEELE DIVERSITY CALENDAR
World Environmental Day At Keele, we strive to embed sustainability across all our activities, spanning our research, education, business processes, campus and community, as well as our external engagement with partners and business. There are many opportunities for you to get actively involved in Green:keele whether you are a student, a member of staff or a member of the local community. For more information see keele.ac.uk/greenkeele/ Carers Week Many staff and students combine their university life with caring responsibilities, such as caring for an ill or disabled family member. Juggling caring responsibilities can be very tiring and place demands on your physical and emotional wellbeing. It is important that you look after yourself as well as those that you are caring for. At Keele we offer a range of services to help students who are struggling with personal and emotional issues. For students see keele.ac.uk/studentswithcaringresponsibilities for Staff see keele.ac.ukparentsandcarernetwork
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 World Environment Day 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Carers Week (12th 18th) Eid -ul-fitr - Islam Guru Arjan Martyrdom - Sikhism 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Refugee Week (19th 25th) World Refugee Day Litha (Summer Solstice) Paganism 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Tisha B av - Judaism Mourning JUNE 2018 THE KEELE DIVERSITY CALENDAR
Buddhism The Buddhist faith is celebrated by holidays and festivals, most of which commemorate important events in the life of the Buddha or various Bodhisattvas. The date of the holidays are based on the lunar calendar and often differ by country and tradition. Buddhist holidays are joyful occasions. A festival day normally begins with a visit to the local temple, where one offers food or other items to the monks and listens to a Dharma talk. The afternoon might consist of distributing food to the poor to earn merit, circumambulating (walking around) the temple three times in honor of the Three Jewels, chanting and meditation. Three Buddhist festivals are celebrated in the month of July notably Ulambana, Obon and Dharma day. Graduation Graduation Ceremonies are the high point of the year when staff and students, friends and families, come together to celebrate success and achievement. Graduation Ceremonies are held twice a year in the University Chapel, the largest available public space on campus. As well as awards achieved through the academic endeavour of students, a very small number of Honorary Doctorates and other Degrees is awarded each year to individuals of distinction and people who have given exceptional service to the University or the region.
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Disability Awareness week (2nd 6th) 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Dharma Day (Asalha Puja) - Buddhism Ulambana - Buddhism Obon - Buddhism Obon - Buddhism 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Obon - Buddhism Dharma day - Buddhism Disability Awareness Day 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 JULY 2018 THE KEELE DIVERSITY CALENDAR
Keele is a diverse, inclusive and professional community that respects individuals and enables them to strive for success in order to contribute positively and sustainably in the local region, wider society and national economy. Our students, academics and professional staff are drawn from over 100 different countries. That rich mix of cultures and our strong sense of community and cohesion provide opportunities for all staff and students to live, work and socialise in an internationalised environment. This enhances our global outlook and helps Keele act as a local and regional gateway to the rest of the world.
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 3 4 Lughnasadh/Lammas Paganism 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 International Day of the World s Indigenous People 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 International Youth Day 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Krishna Janmashtami (Also known as Jayanti) Hinduism 26 27 28 29 30 31 Raksha Bandhan Hinduism Eid Al Adha Islam AUGUST 2018 THE KEELE DIVERSITY CALENDAR
Keele Welcomes you keele.ac.uk/welcome
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 International Literacy Day 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Rosh HaShanah Judaism Ganesh Chaturthi - Hinduism (12th 23rd) 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Yom Kippur - Judaism World Peace Day Mabon - Paganism 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Sukkot Judaism (23rd 30th) 30 National Poetry Day SEPTEMBER 2018 THE KEELE DIVERSITY CALENDAR
BLACK HISTORY MONTH: keele.ac.uk/english/newsandevents/kinglear.php The University s institutional commitment to the Race Equality Charter (REC) The aim of the REC is to create a more inclusive learning and work environment by improving the representation, progression, and success of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) staff and students within higher education. For more information see www.keele.ac.uk/ raceequalitycharter
SUNDAY Black History Month MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 3 4 5 6 Black History Month 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 World Mental Health Day Bandi-Chhor Diwas Sikhism Navaratri - Hinduism (10th 18th) National Coming Out Day 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty Dassera - Hinduism 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 All Hallows Eve Christianity Samhain Paganism OCTOBER 2018 THE KEELE DIVERSITY CALENDAR
Alcohol awareness Keele University and Keele Students Union were successfully audited in June 2017 with a score of 80% of criteria completed. Keele were commended for their innovative intervention ideas such as social norming videos and stickers on cups during Alcohol Awareness Weeks, as well as creating a strong and effective partnership between the University, Students Union and KPA. At Keele we to encourage responsible drinking and make sure that Keele students are looked after. www.keele.ac.uk/alcoholanddrugs Anti-Bullying awareness week: The Active Bystanders campaign asks members of Keele and Staffordshire University communities to take positive, affirmative action when they hear or see things that are wrong - whether that be discrimination, or disrespectful and/or inappropriate behaviours. If you see something, say something, do something This simple but powerful message is what the Universities and Students Unions are asking members of their communities to do as part of a new initiative called #NeverStandby. keele.ac.uk/pressreleases/2016/neverstandby.php
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 3 All Saints Day - Christianity All Souls day Christianity 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Guru Nanak Dev Ji s Birthday Sikhism 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Anti-bullying Week (13th 17th) Armistice Day Interfaith Birth of Baha u Llah Baha lism Alcohol awareness Week (13th 19th) 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 International Mens Day Transgender Day of Remembrance / Awareness Day Carers Rights Day 25 26 27 28 29 30 St Andrew s Day (Patron Saint of Scotland) - Christianity NOVEMBER 2018 THE KEELE DIVERSITY CALENDAR
Christmas Christmas is celebrated on the 25 December (7 January for Orthodox Christians). Christmas is a Christian holy day that marks the birth of Jesus who Christians believe to be the Son of God. Advent is the period which leads up to Christmas. It starts on the Sunday nearest to November 30th. Many Advent customs involve counting the days until Christmas begins. Hanukkah or Chanukah is the Jewish Festival of Lights. It dates back to two centuries before the beginning of Christianity. In the western calendar Hanukkah is celebrated in November or December. The word Hanukkah means rededication and celebrates one of the greatest miracles in Jewish history. Hanukkah is celebrated by lighting one candle on the Hanukiah (an eight-stemmed candelabrum) each day. The Hanukiah symbolises how God looked after the Jewish people at this difficult time. Games are often played at Hanukkah. The most common game uses a dreidel and is a popular way of helping children to remember the great miracle
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 World AIDS Day 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 International Day for Disabled People International Volunteer Day Rohatsu (Bodhi Day) Buddhism 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Human Rights Day 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Winter Solstice/Yule Paganism 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Christmas Eve Christianity Christmas Day Christianity Saint Stephen s Day Christianity Boxing day Secular 30 31 DECEMBER 2018 THE KEELE DIVERSITY CALENDAR New Year s Eve
www.keele.ac.uk/faith Keele Diversity team welcome any feedback or suggestions you can make towards the development of our calendar keele.ac.uk/equalitydiversity Lisa Porter 01782 733339 l.m.porter@keele.ac.uk Caroline Farnell-Smith 01782 7 34240 c.a.farnell@keele.ac.uk @EqualityKeele @EqualityatKeele