Respect Information Panels

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RESPECT FOR EVERYONE.

April 2013 in the College April 22nd-26th College Health Week

Friday April 26th Workers’ Memorial Day

A week of awareness raising regarding a number of health issues, plus free blood pressure checks in the Luminary Fitness Suite. Please see the RESPECT screen in the main Atrium or visit www.hartlepoolfe. ac.uk/respect for more details.

A ceremony and service to mark this annual date (see opposite) will be held in Conference 1 at 11.30am, including the showing of a short film. It will then move onto the Tree of Remembrance on Riley (Floor 2, turn left from the lifts/main staircase) for dedications.

April 2013 in the World 2nd 2nd 5th 7th

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Passover (Final Day) (Jewish) Autism Awareness Day Maundy Thursday (Christian) Yom HaShoah - Jewish Holocaust Remembrance Day World Health Day Ugadi (Hindu) Vaisakhi (Sikh) Birthday of Guru Nanak (Sikh) Hola Mohalla (Sikh) Yom Hazikaron (Jewish) Yom H’atzmaut (Jewish) Birthday of Guru Tegh Bahadur (Nanakshahi calendar) (Sikh) Birthday of Guru Angad Dev (Sikh) Swaminarayan Jayant (Hindu) Ridvan - first day (Bahai) Anniversary of Haile Selassie’s visit to Jamaica (Rastafari) Earth Day St George’s Day (Christian) Theravada New Year (Buddhist) World Malaria Day Lag B’Omar (Jewish) Workers’ Memorial Day Ridvan - ninth day (Bahai) RSPCA Week

Find out more at hartlepoolfe.ac.uk/respect

Selected Dates for

April 2013

2nd Autism Awareness Day The sixth annual World Autism Awareness Day is April 2nd 2013. Every year autism organisations around the world celebrate the day with unique fundraising and awarenessraising events. In the UK The National Autistic Society is a leading UK charity for people with autism (including Asperger Syndrome) and their families. Providing information, support and pioneering services, they campaign for a better world for people with autism. Their website is www.autism.org.uk.

Autism is a highly variable neurodevelopmental disorder that first appears during infancy or childhood, and generally follows a steady course without remission.

Mild autism is very common, and most people tested do register somewhere low down on the autistic spectrum. In more severe instances characteristic symptoms include impairments in social interaction, impairments in communication, restricted interests and repetitive behavior.

In such cases unusual social development becomes apparent early in childhood. Autistic children show less attention to social stimuli, smile less often, avoid looking at others and respond less to their own name. Children with high-functioning autism suffer from more intense and frequent loneliness compared to non-autistic peers, despite the common belief

that children with autism prefer to be alone.

Making and maintaining friendships often proves to be difficult for those with autism. For them, the quality of friendships, not the number of friends, predicts how lonely they feel.

How autism occurs is not well understood and there is no known cure. Children recover occasionally, sometimes after intensive treatment and sometimes naturally. It is not known how often recovery happens, and estimates vary between 3% to 25%. Most children with autism feel a lack of social support, and find meaningful relationships, future employment opportunities or selfdetermination to be challenging.

7th World Health Day - High Blood Pressure World Health Day is celebrated on 7th April to mark the anniversary of the founding of World Health Organisation in 1948, and more information can be found at www.who.int Each year a theme is selected for World Health Day that highlights a priority area of global public health. The theme for 2013 is high blood pressure. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. If left uncontrolled, high blood pressure can also cause blindness, irregularities of the heartbeat and heart failure.

The risk of developing these complications is higher in the presence of other cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes.

One in three adults worldwide has high blood pressure. The proportion increases with age, from one in ten people in their 20s and 30s to five in ten people in their 50s. Prevalence of high blood pressure is highest in some low-income countries in Africa, with over 40% of adults in many African countries thought to be affected.

Many people do not know they have high blood pressure because it does not always cause symptoms. Even if you appear perfectly fit and healthy you may have hypertension and damage may be being caused. As a result, it leads to more than nine million deaths every year, including about half of all deaths due to heart disease and stroke.

However, high blood pressure is both preventable and treatable, and is easily diagnosed. In some developed countries treatment of the condition, together with other cardiovascular risk factors, has brought about a significant reduction in deaths from heart disease. The risk of developing high blood pressure can be reduced by: • reducing salt intake; • eating a balanced diet; • avoiding harmful use of alcohol; • taking regular physical activity; • maintaining a healthy body weight; and • avoiding tobacco use.

25th World Malaria Day

What is RESPECT? The College prides itself on treating every student like an individual, whilst helping them to achieve their individual goals.

We embrace diversity and we also believe that every person who passes through our doors demands our unconditional help and respect.

“Respect for Everyone” is our campaign to create a College community which is safe and welcoming and gives everyone the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Responsibility and Accountability: being responsible and answerable for our actions, our use of language and our treatment of others.

Equality: every person in College has a voice. We value each other’s opinions and perspectives.

Social responsibility: we encourage people to take care of this College and this community and work together to improve it.

Pro-Active: we actively support the RESPECT agenda.

Education, training and information: the College champions education. All members of its community engage in on-going education, training and professional development.

Caring for Others: we actively support local, national and international charities through fundraising and social activities that demonstrate care for the wider community.

Transparency: we are honest and open about what we do and the way we do it.

To find out more look for RESPECT on our Facebook page, facebook.com/hartlepoolfe and on Twitter, twitter.com/hartlepoolfe

Malaria is a highly infectious mosquito-carried disease which affects humans and some species of animal. It begins with a bite from an infected mosquito as it feeds on a host’s blood, which introduces protists (microrganisms) through saliva into the victim’s circulatory system. Once in the body, these travel to the liver to mature and reproduce.

The World Health Organisation has estimated that in 2010 there were 219 million documented cases of malaria. That year, between 660,000 and 1.2 million people died from the disease - roughly 2000 to 3000 per day. The actual number of deaths is not known with certainty, as accurate data is unavailable in many rural areas, and many cases are undocumented.

Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever and headache, which in severe cases can progress to coma or death if untreated.

Many of these were children in Africa, and malaria is commonly associated with poverty.

One simple way of preventing malaria is the use of nets to cover beds, which prevents mosquitos from feeding on people while they are asleep and unable to fend off the insects.

Many charities focus on providing these nets.

The disease is widespread in mosquito-friendly tropical regions equator, including much of SubSaharan Africa, Asia and the Americas.

Despite a severe need no effective vaccine currently exists, although efforts to develop one are ongoing. Severe malaria is treated with intravenous or intramuscular quinine or, since the mid-2000s, the artemisinin derivative artesunate, which is superior to quinine in both children and adults. However, some strains of the disease have developed resistance to several antimalarial drugs including artemisinin.

Several medications are available to prevent malaria in travellers to malaria-endemic countries, and more information can be found at www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Malaria/Pages/ Introduction.aspx

28th Workers’ Memorial Day Every year more people are killed at work than in wars. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) one worker dies every 15 seconds worldwide, some 6,000 every day. Many die simply because worker safety is considered a low priority by some (often developing world) employers.

Workers’ Memorial Day (WMD) commemorates lost or injured workers on 28th April every year. All over the world workers and their representatives conduct events, demonstrations, vigils and other activities to mark the day. The day is intended to serve as a rallying cry to “remember the dead, and fight for the living”.

Workers’ Memorial Day was started by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in 1984. The Canadian Labour Congress declared an annual day of remembrance in 1985 on 28th April, which is the anniversary of a comprehensive Workers Compensation Act passed in 1914. The late safety at work campaigner Tommy Harte brought Workers’ Memorial Day to the UK in 1992, and it was quickly adopted by unions and worker safety organisations worldwide. By 1996 it had been recognised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and from 2006 onwards an annual theme was adopted, allowing organisers to focus on specific topics.

ILO figures reveal that each year more than two million women and men die as a result of workrelated wounds and diseases. Workers suffer approximately 270 million accidents each year, and fall victim to some 160 million incidents of work-related illness. Hazardous substances kill 440,000 workers annually, with asbestos alone claiming 100,000 lives.

In the UK the Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a leader in coordinating activities across the country, publishing a comprehensive listing of events and suggestions. More information can be found at www.tuc.org.uk/wmd

If you have an event, activity or display that falls into our RESPECT agenda, or would like support and information on how to organise one, please contact Debbie Caygill on 01429 404142, or email dcaygill@hartlepoolfe.ac.uk, heading it “Respect”

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RESPECT FOR EVERYONE. Selected Dates for

June 2013 in the College

June 2013

24th June, for two weeks: Anne Frank Exhibition A detailed display in the Atrium examining the life, diary and legacy of the remarkable Holocaust victim. Please see the RESPECT screen in the main Atrium or visit the website below for more details.

June 2013 in the World All All All 2nd 2nd 7th 8th 9th 10th 10th 11th 14th 16th 17th 19th 20th 21st 21st 22nd 24th 24th 29th 29th

Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month National Osteoporosis Month National Microchip Month The Big Lunch National Cancer Survivors Day British Heart Week World Oceans Day Diabetes Week Huntington’s Disease Awareness Week Bike to School Week Scleroderma Awareness Week Eco Week Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev (Sikh) National Recycle Week World Sickle Cell Day National Breastfeeding Week Summer Solstice - Litha (Pagan) Wrong Trousers Day Interfaith Day Child Safety Week Cystic Fibrosis Week The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (Christian) UK Armed Forces Day

Find out more at tiny.cc/hcferespect

5th World Environment Day World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated every year on 5th June to raise global awareness of the need to take positive environmental action. It is run by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

June 5th 1972 was the day that the first United Nations Conference on the Human Environment began, with the inaugural World Environment Day following in 1973. Events take place around the world and throughout the year, culminating on WED itself.

Each year a theme is selected, and for 2013 that theme is food preservation, under the banner “Think. Eat. Save.”

Think.Eat.Save is an anti-food waste and food loss campaign that encourages people to reduce their “foodprint”. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), every year 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted. This is equivalent to the same amount produced in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, 1 in every 7 people in the world go to bed hungry and more than 20,000 children under the age of five die daily from hunger.

Given this enormous imbalance in lifestyles and the resultant devastating effects on the environment, WED aims to encourage people to become more aware of the environmental impact of the food choices they make.

Global food production occupies 25% of all habitable land and is responsible for 70% of all fresh water consumption (for example it takes about 1,000 litres of water on a farm and in factory production techniques to produce 1 litre of milk, and about 16,000 litres to make a single hamburger).

Food production also accounts for 80% of deforestation and 30% of greenhouse gas emissions. It is the largest single driver of biodiversity loss and land-use change. Although obviously necessary, when the food produced is wasted it means that all resources used are negated, and therefore not offset by the consumption of the end product.

14th World Blood Donor Day World Blood Donor Day, celebrated on 14th June every year (the birthday of Karl Landsteiner, the scientist who discovered the ABO blood group system), is a World Health Organisation (WHO) event that serves to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products. It also sets out to thank the 92 million voluntary unpaid blood donors around the world for their life-saving gifts of blood.

The host country for World Blood Donor Day 2013 is France. Through its national blood service, the Etablissement Français du Sang (EFS), France has been promoting voluntary non remunerated blood donation since the 1950s. Some 62 countries now collect 100% of blood supplies from voluntary unpaid donors.

However, there are still 40 countries dependent on family donors and paid donors, something the WHO aims to change by 2020. The transfusion of blood and use of blood products in operations and emergency situations helps to save literally millions of lives every year. Donated blood also has an essential, life-saving role in maternal and prenatal care.

Aside from the difference donated blood makes to recipients, there are also benefits to the donor too. In patients prone to iron overload, blood donation prevents the accumulation of toxic quantities. Research published in 2012 demonstrated that repeated blood donation is effective in reducing blood pressure, blood glucose, HbA1c, low-density lipoprotein/highdensity lipoprotein ratio, and heart rate.

World Refugee Day is dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world.

The CRSR also sets out the rights of individuals who are granted asylum and the responsibilities of nations that grant asylum.

Article 1 of the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (CRSR, also referred to as the Geneva Convention) defines a refugee as “A person who, owing to a wellfounded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country”.

The Convention also defines those people who do not qualify as refugees, such as war criminals fleeing the location of their crimes.

One of the most famous refugees was Annelies “Anne” Frank, born on the 12th June 1929, who would become a focal point for Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Born in Frankfurt in Germany, when elections were held for the municipal council in 1933 Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party won.

Antisemitic demonstrations began almost immediately, and Anne’s parents decided to move to Amsterdam in Holland. The Franks were among 300,000 Jews who fled Germany between 1933 and 1939. When German forces invaded the Netherlands Anne and her family were famously forced to hide in a small secret attic complex for two years. The family were eventually betrayed, and Anne died of Typhus in Belsen shortly before the end of the war.

With the slogan “Give the gift of life: donate blood”, this year’s campaign, also marking the 10th anniversary of World Blood Donor Day, will focus on the value of donated blood to the patient not only in saving life, but also in helping people live longer and more productive lives.

As blood can only be stored for a finite time, it is vital that those who can donate do so as regularly as is allowed, which is three times a year. You can find out more about donating blood in the UK at www.blood.co.uk

20th World Refugee Day

What is RESPECT? The College prides itself on treating every student like an individual, whilst helping them to achieve their individual goals.

We embrace diversity and we also believe that every person who passes through our doors demands our unconditional help and respect.

“Respect for Everyone” is our campaign to create a College community which is safe and welcoming and gives everyone the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Responsibility and Accountability: being responsible and answerable for our actions, our use of language and our treatment of others.

Equality: every person in College has a voice. We value each other’s opinions and perspectives.

Social responsibility: we encourage people to take care of this College and this community and work together to improve it.

Pro-Active: we actively support the RESPECT agenda.

Education, training and information: the College champions education. All members of its community engage in on-going education, training and professional development.

Caring for Others: we actively support local, national and international charities through fundraising and social activities that demonstrate care for the wider community.

Transparency: we are honest and open about what we do and the way we do it.

To find out more look for RESPECT on our Facebook page, facebook.com/hartlepoolfe and on Twitter, @hartlepoolfe Hashtag: #HCFERespect

The most common reasons for people to become refugees are war, natural disaster and persecution (usually political or religious).

Although figures are hard to track accurately, significant sources of recent refugees include Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sierra Leone, Myanmar, South Sudan, and the Palestinian Territories.

26th International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking On 7th December 1987 the General Assembly of the United Nations decided to observe 26th June as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking as an expression of its determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse.

The decision was a reaffirmation of the UN’s belief that illicit drugs continue to pose a health danger to humanity, cause misery though addiction and debt, and present a conduit for criminal activity and violence. Member States confirmed unequivocal support and established a world-wide drug control system that often includes military intervention.

Events will be held all over the world to look at the effects of drugs in local communities and how the drugs trade can be stopped.

Obvious negative aspects such as the dangerous effects of cannabis on the brain to the prevention of HIV/AIDS and needle sharing will be highlighted, plus other aspects such as the danger to vulnerable people used as “mules” to smuggle drugs across borders - often at maximum risk to themselves and minimal risk to the organisations behind the criminal activities. The UN estimates that about 230 million people, or 5% of the world’s population, use illegal drugs, and that the habit kills about 200,000 worldwide each year.

Global treatment for drug abuse would cost $250 billion per year if everyone who needed help received proper care, but fewer than one in five people who require treatment actually receive it. Crimes committed by people who need money to finance their drug habit, as well as loss of work productivity, impose a tremendous cost to many countries. Due to its illicit nature, statistics about profits from the drug trade are largely unknown. In its 1997 World Drugs Report the UN estimated the value of the market at US$400 billion, ranking drugs alongside arms and oil amongst the world’s largest traded goods. An online report published by the UK Home Office in 2007 estimated the illicit drug market in the UK at £6.6 billion a year.

If you have an event, activity or display that falls into our RESPECT agenda, or would like support and information on how to organise one, please contact Debbie Caygill on 01429 404142, or email dcaygill@hartlepoolfe.ac.uk, heading it “Respect”

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RESPECT FOR EVERYONE. Selected Dates for

Event in Focus Holocaust Memorial Day 27th

January 2014 4th World Braille Day World Braille Day is celebrated every year on the 4th January to commemorate the birthday of Louis Braille (1809-1852), who invented the Braille language which allows blind people to read as well as write. Braille was born in France, the son of a leather maker, and at the age of three he suffered an accident playing with one of his father’s tools. He pierced one eye with a spike and soon lost the other due to a spread of infection. However, he had a great yearning to be able to read and write properly, despite his disability. Clever and attentive, at the age of 15 he developed a set of symbols by making raised dots on a piece of paper. The dots could be easily felt by hand, thus enabling the blind to feel them with fingertips and hence read and write.

Holocaust Memorial Day is a national event in the United Kingdom dedicated to the remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust (from the Greek holókaustos, or “burnt”) - the name given to the planned extermination of Jewish people and other “untermensch” (subhumans) by Nazi Germany in the run up to and throughout World War 2 (1939-1945). Approximately six million Jews were victims of systematic state-sponsored murder throughout the German Reich and Germanoccupied territories. Other victims included people of non-white origin, homosexuals, people with disabilities and people who merely voiced differing political views to those of Hitler and his followers.

Of the nine million Jews who once resided in Europe before the Holocaust, approximately two-thirds were killed including over one million children. A rail-linked network of over 40,000 facilities in Germany and German-occupied territory were used to transport, concentrate, hold and eventually systematically kill inmates on an industrial-scale through the use of purpose-built gas chambers.

Holocaust Memorial Day was first held in January 2001.

The 27th was the date chosen as it is the anniversary of the liberation of infamous Auschwitz concentration camp by the Soviet Union’s Red Army in 1945.

In addition to the national event there are numerous smaller memorial events around the country organised by many different organisations, groups and individuals.

Hartlepool College is planning a series of awareness raising and charitable events throughout the month, following the 2014 HMD theme of “Journeys”. The Big Picture on the third floor is integrated, with a series of panels about less well-known parts of the Holocaust such as Aktion T4 - the widespread murder of disabled people, the congenitally sick and infertile women, plus Sobibor, the only camp that successfully rebelled.

The College’s book club will be reading Hana’s Suitcase, a true story of the Holocaust.

Rather than just reflect on the events of the original Holocaust, HMD shines a light on contemporary genocides and persecution around the globe in places such as Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur and Syria, and the RESPECT campaign will be doing the same.

Braille’s work was not only confined to alphabets.

He was passionate about music too and in the latter part of his life he developed a Braille language for music. He made a point to keep it flexible so that it could be adapted to almost any musical instrument.

Braille’s language would not see widespread adoption until after his death in 1854. Today, it is a priceless aid in helping the blind and visually impaired to learn, relax and communicate. World Braille Day is celebrated every year to recognise the efforts of Louis Braille. It is relatively a little known occasion but, for sufferers and individuals working with the blind, it is a day of great significance.

There is no public holiday as such in any part of the world but many organisations do come together to raise awareness about the apathy towards blind people and to help them find equality with sighted people.

Awareness is also raised about the new technologies being used in the field of the Braille language. For example an expensive, custom made special typewriter once had to be used in order to write Braille language. Nowadays, computers can also be equipped to do the job.

For more information of blindness visit: www.rnib.org.uk

20th Martin Luther King Jr. Day Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. In recent years it has become an unofficial event in other countries out of respect for Dr. King’s work in racial equality. A “floating” holiday, it is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around the time of King’s birthday, January 15th. King was the chief spokesman for non-violent activism in the US civil rights movement, which successfully protested against racial discrimination in federal and state law. The campaign for a federal holiday in King’s honour began soon after his assassination in 1968. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later.

In a sad indictment of how change can sometimes be slow and painful to some, at first some traditionally segregated US states resisted observing the holiday even though it had been legislated by the federal government. Alternative names were selected. In Utah it became known as “Human Rights Day”, an irony given the political context of the renaming. In other states it was combined with existing holidays in attempts to hide or diminish it. In Virginia it was known as LeeJackson-King Day, combining King’s birthday with the established Lee-Jackson Day. A greater irony was that Robert E. Lee and “Stonewall” Jackson were two generals of the Confederacy, the side of the US Civil War that fought to maintain slavery (of which Virginia was one of the greatest advocates).

The holiday was officially observed in all fifty states for the first time only as recently as 2000.

While mostly a US event, one place outside the United States where Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is observed with equal importance is in the Japanese city of Hiroshima - the first city in the world to be attacked by an atomic bomb in the closing days of World War 2. Under mayor Tadatoshi Akiba a special banquet is held at the mayor’s office as an act of unifying his city’s call for peace with King’s message of human rights.

For more information visit the official site of the Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr.: http://www.thekingcenter.org/

23rd National Handwriting Day National Handwriting Day is celebrated each year on January 23rd, the birthday of John Hancock, whose signature became famous for being first on the US Declaration of Independence.

Hancock’s name was signed especially largely, and became so iconic that “John Hancock” has become a colloquialism for signature.

Some say handwriting is an indicator of one’s personality. Proponents of graphology (the study of handwriting) believe that everything about your writing, from the pressure you put on the pen to the spacing between your words, can indicate how well you socialise, analyse or prioritise. Whether or not your innermost secrets are contained within your handwriting, the fact remains that it is uniquely your own.

However, National Handwriting Day is also used to focus on literacy skills - basically, the ability to read and write. Many policy analysts consider literacy rates as a crucial measure of the value of a region’s human capital. For example literate people can be more easily trained than illiterate people and generally have a higher socio-economic status. Thus they enjoy better health and employment prospects. Literacy also increases job opportunities and access to higher education. This is supported by statistics that show literacy rates in developing countries and their patterns of social and economic success. In India, for example, female and child mortality rates declined dramatically in the 1960s, when girls schooled according to the education reforms

brought in after independence from Britain in 1948 started to raise families of their own.

Their ability to learn and express was a key factor in improving the health and safety of the environment in which their children lived.

A 2009 study in Ireland as to the effects of literacy on the country’s economy found that somebody with good literacy abilities earned an average of 3,810 Euros more than someone in a similar job without, and provided the Exchequer with an extra 1,531 Euros in tax - proof that both individual and country benefit from good literacy.

For more information visit the International Literacy Foundation at: http://ilfcharity.com/

31st Chinese New Year 2014 - Year of the Horse

See our social media for details of in-College activities, or visit the official site for general information on HMD:

Chinese New Year is an important traditional Chinese holiday. In China it is also known as the Spring Festival, the literal translation of the modern Chinese name. January 31st marks the end of the Year of the Snake, 4711 on the Chinese Calendar, and the beginning of the Year of the Horse. Traditionally, the festival was a time to honour deities as well as ancestors. Because the Chinese calendar is lunisolar (based on both the Sun and the Moon), the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the “Lunar New Year”.

Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese populations, and is marked widely across Britain in areas known as “Chinatowns” with spectacular displays of music, dancing and pyrotechnics.

http://tiny.cc/hcferespect

If you have an event, activity or display that falls into our RESPECT agenda, or would like support and information on how to organise one, please contact Debbie Caygill on 01429 404142, or email dcaygill@hartlepoolfe.ac.uk, heading it “Respect”

www.hmd.org.uk

facebook.com/ hartlepoolfe @hartlepoolfe Hashtag: #HCFERespect

According to tales and legends, Chinese New Year originated with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian, which would come on the first day of New Year to eat livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food they prepared it wouldn’t attack any more people. One day people saw that the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of that colour and so they would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the beast - both traditions that extend to today.

It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly cleanse their house in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for good incoming luck. Also popular is the giving of money in red paper envelopes, a traditional Chinese form of passing on good luck. Often, the evening preceding Chinese New Year’s Day is an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner. Foods chosen often have an extra significance. For example Chicken is traditional because even the poorest of households in the past could afford a chicken, while fish is usually eaten or merely displayed as the pronunciation of fish in Chinese makes it a homophone for “surpluses”. Families may also serve uncut noodles, which represent longevity and long life.

R Event in Focus Fairtrade Fortnight From 24th Feb.

RESPECT FOR EVERYONE. Selected Dates for

February 2014 All Month LGBT History Month LGBT History Month is a month-long annual observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, and the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements. LGBT History Month originated in the United States and was first celebrated in 1994. It is observed in October to coincide with National Coming Out Day on October 11th.

LGBT History Month was first instigated in the UK in 2005 to celebrate the abolition of Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 which stated that a local authority “shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality” or “promote the teaching in any maintained school

Fairtrade Fortnight is an annual promotional campaign organised and funded by the Fairtrade Foundation to increase awareness of Fairtrade products. It supports and advocates the general concepts of fair trade, ethical practice and Third World development issues.

The concept was pioneered by the Fairtrade Foundation in Scotland on 12th February 1997, beginning a highly successful campaign that led to every major supermarket in Scotland stocking Fairtrade products.

Fairtrade Fortnight spread to the rest of the United Kingdom the following year, and is now celebrated in several other countries, most notably Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The main objectives of the fortnight are an awareness raising and promotion of Fairtrade certified products to the public. While items such as chocolate, coffee and bananas are the most high profile and consumed of these, Fairtrade extends to many other products such as textiles and even diamonds.

Faritrade events are often supported by local authorities, governments, charities and Alternative Trading Organisations (basically organisations that work outside of normal commercial and stock markets, cutting out “middle men” to keep transactions mutually beneficial). All work in partnership to ensure that ethically traded goods can be purchased at fair prices.

Many schools and colleges also play significant roles from an educational perspective.

Hartlepool College has supported Fairtrade Fortnight for a number of years now, and promotes and sells Fairtrade products through its food outlets all year round. Fairtrade Fortnight will be celebrated from February 24th to March 9th, and a number of events will be organised including visits from Fairtrade organisations with samples of products and goods.

See our social media for details of in-College activities, or visit the official Fairtrade site for general information:

www.fairtrade.org.uk/

of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”. As it did not create a specific criminal offence no prosecution was ever brought under this provision, but its very existence caused many groups to close, limit their activities or even operate in secret.

In addition, a number of lesbian, gay and bisexual student support groups in schools and colleges across Britain were closed owing to fears by legal staff that they could breach the Act, which was finally repealed at the end of 2003. However, some Conservative councils in the south east attempted to continue it as local legislation until forced to stop doing so in court.

When it was launched LGBT History Month set out a clear agenda that the struggle for the rights of LGBT people was akin to the fight against racism and other forms of intolerance. 2005 saw the organising of over 150 events around the UK, and the number rises exponentially each year.

Many organisations have support events, such as the Metropolitan Police, the Tate Modern, the TUC’s Congress House and the Royal Courts of Justice. Celebrities also give their time to promote the Month, notably Lord of the Rings actor and gay rights advocate Sir Ian McKellen.

For more information on LGBT History Month visit: http://lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/

11th Safer Internet Day Safer Internet Day (SID) is organised annually

by Insafe, a European network of awareness centres promoting safe and responsible use of the Internet and mobile devices. The mission of SID is to empower people to use the Internet, smartphones and other online technologies positively, safely and effectively and to expose and bring to task those who misuse it.

Another aspect of the Internet the day highlights is the “Darknet” or “Deep Web”; very hard-to-find invitation-only websites and secretive networks that are operated by criminals, pirates and paedophiles, encrypted to resist searches (these should not be confused with “Dark Internet” URLs, which are pages that are no longer available but continue to show up in search engines).

It calls for shared responsibility for the protection of the rights and needs of citizens, in particular children and youngsters, by government, educators, parents, media, industry and all other relevant parties. Particular emphasis is given towards the elimination of child pornography, abusive use of social media and cyberbullying.

Of major concern is the continuing rise of cyberbullying - the use of Information Technology to harm or harass other people in a deliberate, repeated and hostile manner. Although high profile legal cases and tragic instances of suicide are raising the profile of this issue, there are still many perpetrators who think that their online activities

are anonymous and, far worse, harmless (they are neither). Safer Internet Day also offers advice on using the web and social media without revealing too much detail about yourself, how to respond to or tackle abuse and links to organisations that can offer support. If you or someone you know has been affected, the College also has a comprehensive Safeguarding Policy and confidential counselling service, and details of both can be found on Blackboard.

The Times Education Supplement (TES) website has a number of resources and activities at: http://www.tes.co.uk/article. aspx?storyCode=6065755

12th Red Hand Day for Child Soldiers Red Hand Day, February 12th each year, is an annual day on which events are staged around the world to draw attention to the fates of child soldiers - children who are forced to serve in wars and armed conflicts. The aim of Red Hand Day is to call for action against this practice, and offer support to children who are affected by it.

Children have been used repeatedly as soldiers in recent years, including armed conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan, Côte d’Ivoire, Myanmar, Philippines, Colombia, and Palestine. They are often used as “cannon fodder” by warlords, who can frequently replace losses through kidnapping, coercion or deliberate addiction to drugs.

Red Hand Day was initiated in 2002 when the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict entered into force on February 12th. A number of international organisations are active against the use of children as soldiers including the United Nations Child Fund (UNICEF), Amnesty International and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

The worldwide number of child soldiers is estimated to be 250,000, a third of whom are girls, in at least 17 countries. However it is difficult to know the correct number, as most of them are deployed in armed rebel or terrorist groups who operate outside of accepted channels.

Even if child soldiers are rescued, they are often psychologically damaged or addicted to drugs and require a great deal of help to reintegrate.

Those who are returned to their communities often find rehabilitation to be inadequate or nonexistent, and are prone to mental health problems post traumatic stress and psychosis.

The name of the day comes from the symbolism of blood on the hands of an innocent, and red handprints have been a recurring graphic image of the campaign.

For more information visit www.redhandday.org

20th World Day of Social Justice World Day of Social Justice is a day recognising the need to promote efforts to tackle issues such as poverty, exclusion and unemployment from society. The United Nations General Assembly approved 20th February annually for this purpose, and the first day was held in 2009.

The primary goal is the acceptance and implementation of opportunity, equality and financial security as fundamental values in all societies - effectively, to achieve “a society for all”. Social justice refers to the ability people have to realise their potential through positive contribution and, should they need it during hard times, receive any necessary support legally, morally and economically.

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A United Nations report in 2006 stated that “Social justice may be broadly understood as the fair and compassionate distribution of the fruits of economic growth.” The report concluded “Social justice is not possible without strong and coherent redistributive policies conceived and implemented by public agencies.”

Some governments have already made a commitment to the creation of such a framework to promote and action social justice at regional, national and international levels. Pledges have been made to promote the equitable distribution of income and greater access to social resources, and strict respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

In September 2013 a United Nations official criticised the UK Coalition Government’s Under Occupancy Penalty, introduced in the Welfare Reform Act 2012 - a piece of legislation commonly referred to as the “Bedroom Tax”. This policy actively cuts benefits from those in social housing who have bedrooms not in use. Raquel Rolnik, a UN special reporter on housing, stood by her comments on the policy, which she said was unjust. She argued that it was causing “great stress and anxiety to very vulnerable people” in that it did not take into account individual circumstances such as rooms used to store specialist equipment required by the disabled or where medical conditions mean that married couples required separate rooms.

If you have an event, activity or display that falls into our RESPECT agenda, or would like support and information on how to organise one, please contact Debbie Caygill on 01429 404142, or email dcaygill@hartlepoolfe.ac.uk, heading it “Respect”

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RESPECT FOR EVERYONE. Selected Dates for

Event in Focus World Day for Cultural Diversity 21st

May 2014

6th World Asthma Day World Asthma Day is an annual event organised by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to improve asthma awareness and care around the world. World Asthma Day has taken place on the first Tuesday of May every year since 1998 and more information can be found at http://www.ginasthma.org/wad-home.html

The World Day for Cultural Diversity (officially titled World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development) is a United Nations–sanctioned international observance of the promotion of diversity issues. The United Nations General Assembly quickly adopted it in the wake of the terrorist attacks on 11th September, 2001 (although something similar had been in development for many years beforehand) and it was proclaimed by UN Resolution 57/249 on 2nd November.

The 11th September attacks (also referred to as 9/11, from the US tradition of placing month before day when expressing dates) were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks launched by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda upon the eastern coast of the United States.

Four passenger airliners were hijacked by nineteen al-Qaeda fanatics and three were flown into buildings in suicide attacks. Two of the planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, were respectively crashed into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center complex in New York City. Within two hours both towers had collapsed, and significant damage was caused to ten other surrounding structures. A third plane, American Airlines Flight 77, was crashed into the Pentagon (the headquarters of the United States Department of Defence), leading to a partial collapse of its western side. The fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, was targeted at Washington, D.C.,but crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania after its passengers tried to overcome the hijackers. In total almost 3,000 people died in the attacks, including the 227 civilians and all hijackers aboard the four planes.

Muslims worldwide were quick to utterly condemn the “vicious and cowardly acts of terrorism against innocent civilians”, saying in a statement “We join with all Americans in calling for the swift apprehension and punishment of the perpetrators. No political cause could ever be assisted by such immoral acts”. Despite this, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported a 1,700 percent increase of hate crimes against Muslim Americans in the immediate aftermath, and also those merely perceived to be Muslim.

Although Muslim is a religious term and does not pertain to race, those who bore a stereotyped physical resemblance to what some thought of as a “Muslim look” also faced hostility. Sikhs and Hindus were especially targeted, and in the months following 9/11 more than 300 incidences of hate crimes against Sikhs were reported by the USA Sikh Coalition. As early as 15th September Balbir Singh Sodhi, a 49-year-old Sikh from Mesa, Arizona, was shot and killed outside the gas station he owned by a man named Frank Silva Roque. When police approached to arrest him, Roque protested with the words, “I’m a patriot and an American. I’m American. I’m a damn American.”

Also known as Diversity Day, the World Day for Cultural Diversity is an opportunity to help communities understand the value of cultural diversity, learn how to live together in harmony and, as the official title makes clear, to communicate and share information with a view to mutual understanding and tolerance.

The College is hosting activities all month, with highlights including the chance to learn about different cultures in 180 Seconds (speed dating style), a variety of awareness events, community integration and Mosque visits (subject to confirmation).

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Asthma (from the Greek “ásthma”, literally “panting”) is a very common chronic inflammatory disease of the human airways characterised by variable, often recurring symptoms such as airflow obstruction and bronchospasm (a sudden constriction of the muscles in the walls of the bronchioles, the passageways which carry air to the lungs).

Common symptoms of asthma include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath, and sputum may also be produced from the lung but hard to bring up.

The severe nature of some attacks can cause panic in both victims and those around them.

Despite being a highly common complaint there is still much about the condition which is yet to be understood. The illness is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors (such as pollution, humidity and temperature) and its diagnosis is frequently based on the manifestation of symptoms, which are usually worse at night and in the early morning or in response to exercise or cold air.

Family history is a significant risk factor, with many different genes being implicated.

Treatment of acute asthma symptoms is usually with an inhaled short-acting beta-2 agonist (such as salbutamol) and oral corticosteroids. In very severe cases, intravenous corticosteroids and hospitalisation may be required.

The occurrence of asthma has increased significantly since the 1970s. In 2011 some 235300 million people globally had been diagnosed with asthma, with 250,000 deaths annually attributed to the condition. Asthma is also a commonly reported occupational disease, with an estimated 25% of new cases in adults being related to air quality in working conditions.

8th VE (Victory in Europe) Day Victory in Europe Day, known as VE Day, was the public holiday celebrated on 8th May 1945 to mark the date when Allied forces formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany, bringing to an end World War 2 in Europe and Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich. Hitler’s vision of the world was one based on racial purity, and while over 25 million people died in Europe and Russia, only a relatively small percentage were actual combatants. The majority were what the Nazis termed“undesirables”, and a policy of deliberate extermination by gassing in “death camps” was instigated against Jews, homosexuals, the disabled and all non-white races (which included Poles and Slavics in Hitler’s eyes).

Upon the defeat of Germany (Italy having already surrendered), celebrations erupted throughout the Western world. From Moscow to New York, people cheered. In the United Kingdom more than one million people celebrated in the streets to mark the end of the European campaign. In London, crowds massed in Trafalgar Square and up The Mall to Buckingham Palace, where King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by Prime Minister Winston Churchill, appeared on the balcony of the Palace before the delerious crowds. Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth II) and her sister Princess Margaret were allowed to wander incognito among the crowds and take part in the celebrations.

VE Day is still relevant today as a reminder of the need to oppose fascist regimes. Many say that such madness could never happen in a civilised country such as Britain, but Germany was also a country with a highly ordered and cultured society and yet proved capable of the worst imaginable crimes. Hitler came to power in an era of economic turbulence similar to the “austerity” imposed on the UK today, when people became angry and frustrated at the impact it was having on their daily lives. His rants and scapegoating of “outsiders” such as Jews (many of whom were actually born in Germany and deeply patriotic) is echoed by the rhetoric and policies of today’s far right, and where this can lead should never be forgotten.

platform for charities and medical organisations to highlight the very serious issue of disability and mobility issues caused by diseases of the feet, especially in developing countries. The foot may look simple but is a complex structure with 26 bones, 33 joints, numerous muscles, nerves and different ligament types. Some foot disorders merely lead to a mild ache, but other foot disorders can be very serious and limit ability to walk or bear weight. If foot pain is not treated in time it can lead to long term disability and even in some cases death. The most common cause of foot pain in the west is the wearing of ill fitting shoes. Women are most prone due to the tight and non-functional design of some fashion shoes, especially high heels.

In places like Africa and Asia problems are caused not by inappropriate footwear but by a lack of any form of protection for the feet.

Hookworm and other parasitic diseases enter the body through bare feet, while Podoconiosis (“mossy foot”) is a type of endemic elephantiasis prevalent in barefoot workers as tiny particles of silica penetrate the skin.

The body reacts as if a wound is present and makes a fibrous plug that clogs the “wound”, causing painful swelling. Schistosomiasis is a foot disease caused by parasitic worms that bore into feet and can cause vital organ failure.

Mostly affecting children, infection occurs when skin comes into contact with contaminated water in which snails carrying the infection live.

9th Lost Sock Memorial Day It’s inevitable – in every load of washing you sort through, there are odd socks. Over time, you may even find that you end up with entire drawers and storage boxes filled with odd socks. Ostensibly in honour of those socks lost to the tumble dryer, the under-the-bed wasteland, pet kleptomania, miscellaneous hotel rooms, long forgotten gym bags and a certain type of, ahem, gentleman who uses an extra sock on nights out to impress the ladies, this is a day when the wearing of mismatched socks is not only acceptable but positively encouraged!

However, despite its humourous title and theme, Lost Sock Memorial Day also provides a

17th International Day Against Homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). It can be expressed as contempt, prejudice, aversion or even hatred, is often based on misconception or irrational fear, and is sometimes related to religious beliefs and state sponsorship and / or endorsement.

Homophobia can also be “internalised” in perpetrators, where someone confused or in denial about their own sexuality overcompensates by lashing out at those who are comfortable with being LGBT. Social factors also play a part in homophobic tendencies.

For example Homophobia in men is directly linked to insecurity about masculinity. For this reason homophobia is commonplace in stereotypically male sports such as football and rugby, as well as their subcultures of supporters.

While most nations rightly regard homophobia as unacceptable, five actually carry the death penalty for homosexual activity: Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen. Since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran the government has executed more than 4,000 people charged with homosexual acts. In Saudi Arabia the maximum punishment is public execution, but for business reasons the government does not impose it, instead using fines, flogging and

“medical treatments” such as enforced sexchange. In some parts of the world Lesbians are subjected to “corrective therapy” - statesanctioned rape passed off as a “cure”.

The issue of homophobia was highlighted earlier this year at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, where many competitors and aspects of the media used the high profile of the event to condemn Russian attitudes and legislation towards homosexuality. Even as gay rights protestors made their presence felt, the mayor of Sochi repeated the party line that there is no homosexuality in Russia, and that the people who were protesting were merely “flambouyant dressers partying”.

If you have an event, activity or display that falls into our RESPECT agenda, or would like support and information on how to organise one, please contact Debbie Caygill on 01429 404142, or email dcaygill@hartlepoolfe.ac.uk, heading it “Respect”

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RESPECT FOR EVERYONE. Selected Dates for

Event in Focus FIFA World Cup, Brazil from 12th June

June 2014

4th Hug Your Cat Day In Ancient Egypt, cats were revered and even worshipped as symbols of grace and poise.

Even today, the old adage “dogs have owners, cats have staff” still seems to apply, as cats do like to define their relationship with humans on very much their own terms. Today is the day we reward our feline friends with some hugs (assuming they find this acceptable!) for basically being cute and taking up what appears to be almost all of Youtube.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international men’s football tournament that is scheduled to take place in Brazil from 12th June to 13th July 2014. It will be the second time that Brazil has hosted the competition, the previous time being in 1950. Brazil was elected unchallenged as host nation in 2007 after the international football federation, FIFA, decreed that the tournament would be staged in South America for the first time since 1978 in Argentina.

The national teams of 31 countries advanced through qualification competitions that began in June 2011 to participate with the host nation Brazil in the final tournament. A total of 64 matches are to be played in twelve cities across Brazil in either new or redeveloped stadiums, with the tournament beginning with a group stage. For the first time at a World Cup tournament, the matches will use goal-line technology.

Spain is the defending champion, having defeated the Netherlands 1 - 0 in the 2010 World Cup final to win its first World title. The previous four World Cups staged in South America were all won by South American teams.

The official mascot of the tournament is “Fuleco”, a tatubola - an armadillo that defends itself from predators by rolling up into a ball (see what they did there!?) It was chosen as the official mascot in September 2012 from 47 designs created by six Brazilian agencies, after market research showed its appeal to the primary target audience of Brazilian children aged 5 to 12. “Fuleco” is a combination of the words “Futebol” (“Football”) and “Ecologia” (“Ecology”).

Because of the timezone difference between Brazil and the UK, some matches will be televised at unusual hours. England are in Group D, along with Uruguay, Costa Rica and Italy. Their first match is against Italy, and takes place on Saturday 14th June 2014, with a kick off of 11pm UK time. The game will be played at the Arena da Amazônia in Manaus. This is followed

by Uruguay versus England on Thursday 19th June at 8pm UK time, at the Arena de São Paulo in São Paulo.

England then take on Costa Rica on Tuesday 24th June at 5pm UK time, played at Estádio Mineirão in Belo Horizonte.

“I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel.”

Stuart Pearce

As for England’s chances? Well, most other countries are usually dismissive, and no amount of songs that feature “three lions” or “1966” seem to impress anybody. However, on paper England are a pedigree team with the funding and talent to indicate that they should always do better than they seem to.

French existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, a leading figure in mid-20th century art and politics, also occasionally turned his formidable thought processes to the sport, and once said something that seems to sum up why England don’t always go as far as they have the potential to - “In football, everything is complicated by the presence of the other team.” However, maybe 2014 is the year when England finally regain the glory of 1966. The College will be celebrating the World Cup with numerous sporting and cultural events, please check our social media for details.

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However, did you know that showing a pet (and this isn’t restricted to cats) some affection is actually healthy for you? Studies have shown that hugs from animals can lower blood pressure and decrease stress. Currently

students at Bath Spa University have been offered a petting zoo to reduce their stress levels during exam time, which they can visit immediately before examinations. Monitoring showed that holding and stroking animals brought anxiety levels down substantially.

While most pet owners are clear about the immediate joys that come with sharing their lives with companion animals, many remain unaware of the physical and mental health benefits that can also accompany the pleasure of playing with or snuggling up to a furry friend.

It’s only recently that studies have begun to scientifically explore the benefits of the humananimal bond. The American Heart Association

has linked the ownership of pets, especially furry ones, with a reduced risk for heart disease and greater longevity. Studies have also found that pet owners are less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets. Playing with a pet can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax. Pet owners have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels (indicators of heart disease) and heart attack patients with pets survive longer than those without. Pet owners over the age of 65 make 30 percent fewer visits to their doctors. A pet doesn’t necessarily even have to be a dog or a cat. Watching fish in an aquarium has been proven to help reduce muscle tension and lower pulse rate.

20th World Refugee Day World Refugee Day is dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world.

The CRSR also sets out the rights of individuals who are granted asylum and the responsibilities of nations that grant asylum.

Article 1 of the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (CRSR, also referred to as the Geneva Convention) defines a refugee as “A person who, owing to a wellfounded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country”.

The Convention also defines those people who do not qualify as refugees, such as war criminals fleeing the location of their crimes.

The most common reasons for people to become refugees are war, natural disaster and persecution (usually political or religious).

Although figures are hard to track accurately, significant sources of recent refugees include Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sierra Leone, Myanmar, South Sudan, and the Palestinian Territories.

One of the most famous refugees was Annelies “Anne” Frank, born on the 12th June 1929, who would become a focal point for Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Born in Frankfurt in Germany, when elections were held for the municipal council in 1933 Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party won.

Antisemitic demonstrations began almost immediately, and Anne’s parents decided to move to Amsterdam in Holland. The Franks were among 300,000 Jews who fled Germany between 1933 and 1939. When German forces invaded the Netherlands Anne and her family were famously forced to hide in a small secret attic complex for two years. The family were eventually betrayed, and Anne died of Typhus in Belsen shortly before the end of the war.

21st World Music Day Music is a massive part of our lives, and it’s often one we take for granted. Music entertains, boosts the economy, makes political and social statements, and is a proven weapon in the arsenal of protestors and satirists worldwide.

Underscore in films and television heightens the emotion or action of scenes on-screen, while medically music’s therapeutic effects are welldocumented. Varying cultures have developed many different sounds and instruments, and in the digital age our ability to access just about every piece over recorded is greater than ever. Of all human art forms, music is the most universal, and is an achievement well worth celebrating. The Fête de la Musique, also known as The Worldwide Celebration of Music

or simply World Music Day, is an annual music festival held on June 21st in cities around the world. It was created by the French Minister of Culture, Jack Lang. In October 1981 Maurice Fleuret became Director of Music and Dance at Lang’s request, and Fleuret applied his own philosophy to the celebration of music: “There is music everywhere and often a concert nowhere” he mused - or put simply, too often we treat music as background noise instead of giving it the attention it deserves. When he discovered in a 1982 study on the cultural habits of the French that five million people - one child out of two - played a musical instrument, he began to dream of a way to bring people out on the streets. The first took place in 1982 in Paris.

Ever since then the festival has become an international phenomenon, celebrated on the same day in more than 460 cities in 110 countries. Many free concerts are organised, making all genres of music accessible to the public. Two of the caveats to being sanctioned by the official Fête de la Musique organisation in Paris are that all concerts must be free to the public, and likewise all performers donate their time for free. Hartlepool College will be putting together a playlist of selected music from a variety of cultures and genres to celebrate World Music Day, which will also be accessible online. Subject to availability, live performances are also planned.

While fasting from dawn until sunset, Muslims refrain from consuming food, drinking liquids, smoking and engaging in marital relations; in some interpretations they also refrain from cursing. Food and drink is served daily, before sunrise and after sunset. According to Islam, the thawab (rewards) of fasting are many, but in this month they are believed to be multiplied.

Fasting for Muslims during Ramadan typically includes the increased offering of salat (prayers) and the recitation of the Quran, which states in Chapter 2, Revelation 185:

criterion (of right and wrong). And whosoever of you is present, let him fast the month, and whosoever of you is sick or on a journey, a number of other days. Allah desires for you ease; He desires not hardship for you; and that you should complete the period, and that you should magnify Allah for having guided you, and that perhaps you may be thankful.”

28th Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Muslims worldwide observe this as a month of fasting. This annual observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

The month lasts 29 - 30 days based on visual sightings of the crescent moon.

The word Ramadan comes from the Arabic root ramida or ar-ramad, which means scorching heat or dryness. Fasting is fard (“obligatory”) for adult Muslims, except those who are ill, travelling, pregnant, breastfeeding, diabetic or going through menstruation. Fasting the month of Ramadan was made obligatory during the month of Sha’aban, in the second year after the Muslims migrated from Mecca to Medina.

“The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Quran; a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the

Thus, according to the Quran, Muhammad first received revelations in the lunar month of Ramadan. Therefore, the month of Ramadan is considered to be the most sacred month of the Islamic calendar. Some countries in Arabia have laws that amend work schedules in Ramadan, cutting working hours to a maximum of six.

If you have an event, activity or display that falls into our RESPECT agenda, or would like support and information on how to organise one, please contact Debbie Caygill on 01429 404142, or email dcaygill@hartlepoolfe.ac.uk, heading it “Respect”