Harmony Week
Harmony Week is a time to celebrate Australian multiculturalism and the successful integration of migrants into our community. The message for 2024 is Everyone Belongs, inclusion, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, and united by a set of core Australian values.
Approximately 20% of our students are born in 53 different countries, with 47 different languages spoken as a first language. Our College community is proudly multicultural and Harmony Week provides the ultimate setting to celebrate diversity and highlight the respect, inclusivity and belonging for all Australians.
We have been celebrating Harmony Week with a range of activities, including a paper lantern competition and discussions based on the sentence, "Everyone belongs at John Forrest because …". Our café served up specially selected foods including bao buns, samosas and spring rolls, as well as some orange treats in keeping with the theme of the week.
Students were encouraged to dress in cultural clothes or the colour orange to promote inclusivity and diversity within our College community.
Today's assembly was a colourful celebration of all that is wonderful about Harmony Week. Celebrating our differences and embracing our diversity in such a positive way. A special thanks goes to Mayor Filomena Piffaretti, for joining us and sharing some insight into her family heritage. Among the festivities, students dressed in traditional attire and participated in a parade, carrying the flags of their own heritage, transporting the audience to lands far and wide, if only for a short while.
