Australia is one of the most multicultural countries in the world. More than a quarter of us were born internationally, and at least 48 per cent of us have at least one parent who was born overseas. Living in a country with a large cultural footprint comes with many benefits and allows us all to acknowledge and celebrate multiculturalism and diversity. Here are some ways that you can celebrate Harmony Week with children and young people.
Our children and young people are our future. When they understand where they fit in the world and appreciate cultural diversity, they can improve their future and the future of generations to come.
Because we, as adults, play a powerful role in the development of children, it’s important for us to be the best role models that we can be to them. This includes being able to positively influence how they respect and appreciate different cultural backgrounds, from an early age.
What is Harmony Week?
Harmony Week is an annual event that is celebrated in Australia. It’s a day that reminds us of the importance of belonging and encourages us all to celebrate our own and other people’s cultural backgrounds. Harmony Week is centered around Harmony Day (which falls on the 21st of March). Harmony Day also coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
There are three key themes that this week aims to promote. They are inclusivity, respect and belonging.
Celebrating Harmony Week with children and young people
There are many ways that you can help children celebrate Harmony Week. They include:
Creating artwork and displaying it
There are many resources and free worksheets online that you can access to get young people involved in creating culturally appropriate artwork to celebrate Harmony Week. It’s a great way for them to participate and ask questions about different cultures.
Teach children a different language
A fun and engaging activity that you can do with young people is teaching them basic greetings and phrases in another language. When children are presented with the opportunity to learn a new language, they can expand their appreciation of other cultures and increase their communication skills.
Try a different meal on Harmony Week with children
Exploring new foods is a great way to learn about different cultures. Children and young people can show great appreciation of different flavours – and who knows, they might discover their new favourite dish.
Learn about different countries or cultures
Learning about another country or culture is a great way to celebrate cultural diversity. There are many ways to do this, including; learning new languages, learning about different lifestyles and traditions, discovering new foods and more.
Get children to share their family’s cultural backgrounds
Another way that you can celebrate Harmony Week with children, is by asking children to share a bit about their family’s cultural backgrounds. This is a great opportunity for them to participate in a respectful and safe environment.
Celebrating multiculturalism outside of Harmony Week
There are many opportunities throughout the year to celebrate Australia’s cultural diversity. Here are some ways that you can celebrate and spread awareness with and amongst young people:
- Promote and model inclusive attitudes and behaviours
- Encourage young people to appreciate and respect the cultural backgrounds of others
- Work with them to identify similarities between cultures (just as much as the differences)
- Expand cultural awareness through learnings (e.g. learning different languages or learning about different countries)
- Be prepared to discuss diversity at different times
- Participate in culturally significant days (Survival Day, NAIDOC Week, World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, World Refugee Day, Human Rights Day, etc.).