Harmony Week is an annual celebration of cultural diversity and inclusion in Australia. It takes place every year from 15th to 21st March and promotes the message of ‘everyone belongs’. The week celebrates the unique and diverse cultures that make up Australia and encourages communities to come together to promote harmony and respect for all.
Harmony Week was instituted in Western Australia in 2003, and the dates were aligned with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21st March, a day observed annually on the day the police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid “pass laws” in 1960.
The importance of Harmony Week lies in its ability to bring people from all walks of life together, regardless of their cultural or ethnic background. It is an opportunity for individuals and communities to showcase their own unique cultures while learning about and appreciating others.
illuminance Solutions is a highly diverse and multicultural company awarded in 2021 by the Western Australian Government’s Office of Multicultural Interest’s most Multicultural Business Awards. Read more about the award here.
The illuminance team have celebrated Harmony Week in previous years by participating in the conversation in the community, within the team or by wearing orange clothes, as orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations. It also relates to the freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect and wearing something orange during Harmony Week shows support for cultural diversity and an inclusive Australia. Orange is also illuminance’s primary brand colour, so talk about a win-win situation!
This year, the team celebrated Harmony Week by hosting a ‘Taste of Harmony’ event on Friday 24th March. They gathered in the boardroom during lunchtime and shared food from their own countries, giving everyone a chance to sample and learn about different cultural cuisines. The event was also an opportunity to invite family members to the office and to celebrate not one but two birthdays with cake, birthday cards and songs.
Harmony Week and events like Taste of Harmony are important because they promote a sense of unity and respect for diversity. In a world where tensions can arise from cultural differences, it is vital to celebrate and embrace diversity and to keep the conversation going.
But most importantly, by organically being a diverse and multicultural organisation, illuminance keeps the dialogue going all year round just by operating in the way that’s most natural to its leadership and its team. illuminance will continue to celebrate and embrace diversity, not just during Harmony Week, but every day, because in the end we’re all the same.
Sources: www.un.org and www.omi.wa.gov.au
illuminance Solutions is a Microsoft Gold Partner and a 2019 Microsoft Global Partner of the Year: Partner for Social Impact.
