PRIDE MONTH

A lot of people were very repressed, they were conflicted internally, and didn’t know how to come out and be proud. That’s how the movement was most useful, because they thought, ‘Maybe I should be proud.’

L. Craig Schoonmaker

    LGBT Pride Month is a month, typically June, dedicated to celebration and commemoration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) pride. Pride Month began after the Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation protests in 1969, and has since spread outside of the United States.

    It is a celebration of people coming together in love and friendship, to show how far LGBTQ+ rights have come, and how in some places there’s still work to be done. The month is about acceptance, equality, celebrating the work of LGBTQ+ people, education in LGBTQ+ history and raising awareness of issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community.

    Since 2010, large cities across the UK have regularly held Pride events, which have become an established part of the calendar. London’s march remains the largest in the UK, with an estimated attendance in 2022 of 1 to 1.5 million people.

    WORLD WELLBEING WEEK

    21st – 29th June

    Now in its fifth year, World Well-Being Week returns in June 2023 to provide the opportunity for participants worldwide to celebrate the many aspects of wellbeing, from meaningful, purposeful work to financial security, physical, mental and emotional health, social resilience and empathic corporate and civic leadership, community relations and care for the environment. Wellbeing has never been so important to our lives and livelihoods. 

    The pandemic has revealed a capacity for change, never before thought possible, with people adapting mentally and physically all over the world. It has brought with it different ways of thinking and a new-found resilience. The word on everyone’s lips has been: ‘wellbeing’.

    Looking for some ideas to celebrate World Wellbeing Week 2023? Here are some top tips to have a fantastic World Wellbeing Week:

    • Do a wellbeing activity each day – Keep up your daily self-care practice each day during World Wellbeing Week by taking the time for yourself to do a wellbeing activity, such as journaling, doing yoga, cooking a nourishing meal, or talking with a close friend.
    • Learn more about how to look after your wellbeing – World Wellbeing Week is the perfect time to learn more about looking after your wellbeing. You may discover new ideas that you haven’t thought about before, or gain a fresh perspective on how to boost your physical, mental or emotional wellbeing.
    • Talk to your children or loved ones about wellbeing – Opening up a conversation about the importance of wellbeing is a great way to celebrate World Wellbeing Week with those close to you. This can be a perfect time to check on your loved ones, or speak to someone else about your own mental health.

    World Refugee Day – 20th June

    Whoever. Wherever. Whenever. Everyone has the right to seek safety.

    World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honour refugees around the globe. It falls each year on June 20 and celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. World Refugee Day is an occasion to build empathy and understanding for their plight and to recognize their resilience in rebuilding their lives. The day was first established on 20 June 2001, in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees

    ‘People escaping violence or persecution must be able to cross borders safely. They must not face discrimination at borders or be unfairly denied refugee status or asylum due to their race, religion, gender, or country of origin.‘

    – UN Secretary-General António Guterres

    Every minute 20 people leave everything behind to escape war, persecution or terror. There are several types of forcibly displaced persons:

    • Refugees

    A refugee is someone who fled his or her home and country owing to “a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion”, according to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention. Many refugees are in exile to escape the effects of natural or human-made disasters.

    • Asylum Seekers

    Asylum seekers say they are refugees and have fled their homes as refugees do, but their claim to refugee status is not yet definitively evaluated in the country to which they fled.

    • Internally Displaced Persons

    Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are people who have not crossed an international border but have moved to a different region than the one they call home within their own country.

    • Stateless Persons

    Stateless persons do not have a recognized nationality and do not belong to any country.

    Statelessness situations are usually caused by discrimination against certain groups. Their lack of identification — a citizenship certificate — can exclude them from access to important government services, including health care, education or employment.

    • Returnees

    Returnees are former refugees who return to their own countries or regions of origin after time in exile. Returnees need continuous support and reintegration assistance to ensure that they can rebuild their lives at home.