What is South Asian Heritage Month?
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South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM) takes place between the 18th July and 17th August annually in the UK. South Asia consists of eight countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and this month aims to celebrate and commemorate the rich and varied cultures within these countries, promoting understanding of the history, arts, and significant contributions of people of South Asian heritage to the UK.
The theme for this year’s SAHM is ‘Free To Be Me’. The theme encourages the sharing of diverse South Asian experiences and identities so that people from South Asian backgrounds can feel more connected, supported and free to be their authentic selves.
In the workplace organisations can recognise SAHM to help foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of South Asian cultures, so that colleagues with South Asian heritage feel valued, respected and able to bring their ‘whole self’ to work.
There are many ways to mark SAHM and below are some of the great examples and initiatives from our WiHTL & DiR Collaboration Community Members:
Invite colleagues from South Asian backgrounds to share their career journeys, personal stories and achievements through blogs, vlogs or panel talks
Share recommendations of books, films and music from South Asian creators
Host a cooking class, demonstration or tasting of traditional South Asian dishes
Organise performances of traditional South Asian music and dance
Facilitate focus groups with colleagues with South Asian heritage to better understand their experience in the workplace and how the organisation can enhance it
Host workshops or training sessions that highlight the value of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and empower allies to create more supportive workplaces
Encourage colleagues from South Asian backgrounds to join the company’s Race & Ethnicity Employee Network Group (or set one up if it’s not in place already). Employee Network Groups can be a safe space for colleagues to share their personal experiences and address internal inclusion barriers
For more information on how organisations can support colleagues, check out the resources which are available to our Collaboration Community via our members platform the HUB and include:
The Race & Ethnicity Toolkit: A collection of practical guidance and case studies from across the WiHTL & DiR Community to help champion race equality in the workplace. The Toolkit comes in three parts: Making a difference as a colleague; Making a difference as a leader or line manager; Making a difference as an organisation.
Ethnicity Pay Gap Reporting Guide: A step-by-step guide on how to collect, analyse and act on your ethnicity pay gap data.
Webinar recording from Race Equality Week on the theme 'Listen, Act, Change' webinar with insightful panellists Miranda Simms from TUI and Michael Brown from Post Office Ltd.
If you’re not a Member of WiHTL & DiR but you’re interested in our resources, contact us here.
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