Explore Our June 2025 Diversity Calendar

The June 2025 Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) Calendar is attached. We encourage you to print it for communal spaces, share it with the people you support, and keep a copy handy for your personal reference.

Discover the richness of our EDIB calendar—a thoughtful compilation of key dates that celebrate diverse traditions, milestones, and initiatives. From cultural events to health awareness and spiritual observances, this resource invites us to deepen our understanding and embrace inclusion. Let’s honour these moments and weave them into our regular activities, with respect and appreciation.

At Karis Disability Services, our true strength lies in our people—those we support and the dedicated team at our core. Together, we celebrate inclusive communities where Everybody belongs. This month’s image is a powerful display of inclusion and pride that captures a diverse group of people joyfully waving LGBTQ+ flags. It symbolizes unity, acceptance, and the strength of embracing all identities.. Thank you for being part of this journey towards belonging for all!

In June, we celebrate and remember:

• Pride Month: A vibrant and inclusive celebration that honours the 2SLGBTQI+ community (two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex), their history, achievements, and ongoing struggle for equality, acceptance and human rights. Pride Month is a joyful and colorful display of love, unity, self-expression, and resilience, with events and activities that promote inclusivity, educate the public, and celebrate the diversity of sexual orientations and gender identities.
• Deafblind Awareness Month: June 2025 marks a significant milestone—10 years since the Senate of Canada officially proclaimed June as National Deafblind Awareness Month. This anniversary is a powerful opportunity to celebrate the important contributions of Canadians who are deafblind. According to the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability by Statistics Canada, more than 602,000 Canadians aged 15 and over—over 2% of the population—identify as deafblind. These statistics highlight the importance of raising awareness and promoting inclusivity for individuals who are deafblind. This year’s global initiative #CreateAndConnect, led by Deafblind International, invites communities to engage in creative expression that fosters awareness, joy, and connection. The chosen form of expression? Yarn! a vibrant, tactile art form that symbolizes unity and the diverse talents of people who are deafblind.
• Filipino, Italian & Portuguese Heritage Month: An opportunity for us to learn more about the diverse culture and history of Filipino, Italian, and Portuguese communities in Canada, as well as to acknowledge the many achievements and valuable contributions of people of such origins who, throughout our history, have done so much to make Canada the country we know and love.
• National Indigenous History Month: An opportunity to learn about the unique cultures, traditions, and experiences of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. Although these groups share many similarities, they each have their own distinct heritage, language, and spiritual beliefs. It’s a time to honour the stories, achievements, and resilience of Indigenous Peoples, who have lived on this land since time immemorial and whose presence continues to impact the evolving Canada.
• Intergenerational Day on June 1: A celebration of the mutual benefits of building relationships across generations.
• Shavout on June 2 & 3: A Jewish observance of the giving of the Torah, the biblical laws of Judaism, from God to the nation of Israel. (Judaism)
  Belongathon on June 7: Karis Disability Services is hosting community outreach events across several locations in Ontario and Saskatchewan to raise awareness and funds for people with developmental disabilities.
• Eid al-Adha on June 7: Also known as the Feast of Sacrifice, is symbolic of the lessons of sacrifice, devotion, and willingness as told by the story of Prophet Ibrahim. As one of the most important holidays in Islam, every year, Muslims celebrate by gathering with family and loved ones to pray, showing gratitude for life’s blessings, sharing festive meals, and providing food to those in need. (Islam)
• Pentecost on June 8: Annual Christian festival commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus after his ascension from earth to heaven on Ascension Day. It always falls on the seventh Sunday after Easter and Christians celebrate the Holy Spirit, which has been given to purify and empower.
• Action Anxiety Day on June 10: A national awareness and education day to help people learn about anxiety, reduce stigma, dispel common anxiety myths, create awareness of evidence-based resources, raise funds to support programs and underscore the importance of prioritizing mental health in our society.
• World Blood Donor Day on June 14: Every year countries around the world celebrate WBDD to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood.
• Father’s Day on June 15: A day to celebrate and honour fathers, as well as fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society.
• International Day for Countering Hate Speech in June 18: The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on promoting inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue and tolerance in countering discrimination, xenophobia, and hate speech; and calls to increase efforts to address this phenomenon, in line with international human rights law.
• World Refugee Day on June 20: A day which recognizes the rights of forcibly displaced persons be it refugees, asylum seekers, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and to remind the public that refugees can contribute to society and that every action counts in the effort to create a more just, inclusive, and equal world.
• National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21: A day for all Canadians to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.
• Canadian Multiculturalism Day on June 27: Celebrating Canada’s diverse cultures as well as the country’s commitment to equality, democracy, and mutual respect.