General News
25 March, 2022
TAFE CELEBRATES Diversity on Harmony Day
THIS Tuesday, TAFE held a series of events in a Harmony Day celebration for students and staff on its Cairns campus to showcase all cultural backgrounds and how those differences should bring us all closer.
Australia commemorates Harmony Week to celebrate the country’s cultural diversity and challenge ourselves to become a more inclusive and respectful nation that makes everyone feel like they belong.
The theme of Harmony Day resonates especially with TAFE, which has become an academic institution that prides itself in being a multicultural hub for immigrant and refugee students.
The event had morning tea, musical performances, and a student-led fashion parade of traditional outfits.
Everyone was encouraged to participate and share a piece of their own culture.
Vietnamese student Ha Nguyen said it was a happy occasion to celebrate her culture at TAFE.
“It’s wonderful; for me, Harmony Day is a day of peace,” Ms Nguyen said.
“It’s a day where we’re all together, a day where we are kind to each other that’s why I enjoy this day so much.”
For Ms Nguyen, it was inspiring to be sharing Vietnamese culture with her classmates and wearing a traditional Ao Dai.
“This is a traditional Vietnamese dress, and the symbol on my dress is a traditional house called long house, which was so big that the whole village would live there as a family,” she said.
“I would like people to know that our culture is very kind and respectful; our code of conduct wants to teach everyone how to be better people.”
English course student Shumin Zhang from China said Harmony Day was meaningful for mature age students like herself.
“For other Chinese older students, it’s really special to hear Chinese traditional songs and practice together; it feels like home,” Ms Zhang said.
“I’m proud of my culture, my country, and today I can be with my class and people from other cultures and share on Harmony Day.”
Ms Zhang wore a traditional Qipao from Shanghai to represent the beauty of Chinese women.
“This is a very traditional dress, it’s made of silk, with a very cinched body line, and it represents the personality of Chinese women,” she said.
“I’d really like people to know that we (Chinese culture) are fearless, very friendly, peaceful and hardworking, and we love sharing our culture with others.”
TAFE Queensland Business Manager, General Education North Region Donna Spencer said Harmony Day was a meaningful day for everyone on campus.
“Harmony Day for us is about celebrating everything we have in common living here in Cairns and celebrating all of our cultural differences,” Ms Spencer said.
“And in the programs that we run here, we have so many different cultures in the students that we look after but also in our teachers.
“It’s one of those days where we can all work together and make everyone feel like they belong.”
Ms Spencer said both cultural and academic backgrounds mix to celebrate inclusivity.
“We have refugees and people who don’t speak English but have very high qualifications in their home country, and it’s beautiful to have those academic and cultural sides together,” she said.
“Today there’s been a fashion show, cultural dancing and in preparation, they made orange lanterns, which is the colour of Harmony Week, and flags.
“They also learned the vocabulary that fits around Harmony Week to help their English progression.”
Ms Zhang said she is grateful that TAFE opens spaces like Harmony Day where all cultures are visible and celebrated.
“This is important, especially now with everything that’s happening in the world; I think we need to be together as one to get through all the difficulties,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from or your skin colour; we are one.”
