The October 2024 Diversity and Inclusion Calendar is attached. Please print it to share with the people you serve, post it in a communal area, and keep it handy to refer to on your own.
We love providing a monthly calendar to track days that may have special meaning for Karis’ team members, and people who use services. You can find these all in one space: religious, and spiritual days of significance, cultural celebrations, awareness days, and health promotion days. We encourage you to take some time to explore the calendar, and learn more about Diversity. Staying aware of these days, and scheduling activities around them will help us create an inclusive environment for everybody!
Thank you for your continued support, and dedication to our shared vision. We hope this calendar inspires and enlightens you as we work towards a more inclusive world.
Download the October Diversity Calendar
In October, we celebrate and remember:
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National Disability Employment Awareness Month: An important opportunity to discuss, explore, and collaborate to solve the critical issue of inclusive hiring. We celebrate the tremendous contributions persons with disabilities make to our workplaces and communities.
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Global Diversity Awareness Month: Celebrating all the ways our different ethnicities, heritages, experiences, abilities, and other attributes contribute to more dynamic, innovative, and efficient workplaces. We live in a multicultural society, and embracing the values of various cultures only strengthens our understanding and appreciation of the world.
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Latin America Heritage Month: Hailing from all 20 Latin American countries, Canadians of Latin American origin make up a large, and growing community in Canada. They enrich our national fabric with their diverse and vibrant cultures, cuisine, music, dance, and more.
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International Day of Older Persons on October 1: A day to recognize the contributions of older persons/seniors and examine the issues that affect their lives. Encouraging the enjoyment of their rights, addressing violations, and strengthening solidarity through equity and reciprocity between generations.
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Rosh Hashana from October 2 to 4: In Judaism, it’s the birthday of the universe, the day Adam and Eve were created, and it’s celebrated as the head of the Jewish year. Begins at previous sundown. Rosh Hashanah is celebrated with candle lighting in the evening, festive meals with sweet delicacies during the night and day, prayer services that include the sounding of the ram’s horn (shofar), and desisting from creative work.
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National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls on October 4: This is a day to stand in solidarity with Indigenous families and communities to honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. We work to create a world where Indigenous women and girls are safe and free from violence, no matter where they live, work, or travel.
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World Cerebral Palsy (CP) Awareness Day on October 6: There over 17 million people impacted by CP. In many societies around the world, people with CP are kept uneducated and hidden away from the rest of the community. We can keep working on improving diagnosis and treatment, better quality of life and education, to ensure the same rights, access, and opportunities as everybody else in society.
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World Mental Health Day on October 10: A day with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world. An opportunity for people and communities to unite behind the theme “Mental health is a Universal Human Right” to improve knowledge, raise awareness, and drive actions that promote and protect everybody’s mental health.
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National Coming Out Day on October 11: This day serves as an opportunity to celebrate LGBTQ2S+ identities, decrease stigma, increase awareness, and advocate for change. For some LGBTQ2S+ folks this day is an opportunity to celebrate their identities publicly.
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Yom Kippur on October 11 & 12: The holiest day of the year, “Jewish Day of Atonement,” covers a 25-hour fast where people refrain from working, eating, and drinking. Synagogue services are also attended in worship on this sacred day. This day is about asking God to forgive sins, reflecting on past mistakes, accepting repentance, and praying. Many will wear all-white clothing to symbolize purity.
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Thanksgiving on October 14: A day of giving thanks for the harvest, and blessings of the previous year.
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Sukkot from October 16 to 23: A Torah-commanded holiday celebrated for seven days, beginning on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals on which those Israelites who could were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem (Jewish holiday).
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Diwali on October 31: Diwali or Deepavali is the Hindu festival of lights and the Hindu New Year. Diwali lasts for 5 days: Day 1 – New Year for business, Day 2 – the triumph of god Vishnu over the evil demon, Day 3 – Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity visits homes lit by lamps, Day 4 – Bali worship day, Day 5 – devoted to brothers, and sisters.
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Halloween on October 31: It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, though it shares important ties with various other celebrations from several faiths and cultures, including Día de los Muertos (or the Day of the Dead), All Saints Day, and All Souls Day. Halloween made its way over to North America with British and Irish colonists, eventually becoming the holiday we know today, with traditions of door-to-door trick-or-treating and decorations.
“The best thing about Karis Disability Services is the people – both those who use services and those who provide services. We honour the diverse, intersectional, and inclusive community we live in. We respect and celebrate each other’s differences and unique perspectives, abilities, cultures, religions, and identities; making us a strong and diverse community where unity and individuality go hand in hand!”
Catalina Hernandez, on behalf of Karis Disability Services Diversity and Inclusion Working Group