Days of Awarenesssocial impact

PPG Presents Days of Awareness – January 2025

Days of Awareness: January

Partners in Project Green shares Days of Awareness each month to spread awareness and start conversations. These days may have a social, historical, or sustainable significance worthy of our attention. These are just a small sampling of important days to acknowledge or remember. If we missed any days of importance that should be included, please share them with us.  

Tamil Heritage Month – Jan 1 – 31

Tamil Heritage Month, started in 2010, aims to celebrate the history of Canada’s Tamil community and its contribution to the social, cultural, political and economic strength of Canada. Tamil Heritage Month is an opportunity to remember, celebrate and educate future generations about the inspirational role that Tamil Canadians have played and continue to play in communities across Ontario.  

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia; it is the official language of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands in India, as well as Sri Lanka and Singapore. Tamils began migrating to Ontario as early as the 1940s; they have overcome tremendous obstacles and have made significant contributions to the growth and prosperity of Ontario.  

Today, Canada’s Tamil community is one of the largest outside Asia. This year’s theme is “Celebrating Tamil Arts and Honouring Tamil Artists”, highlighting the global impact of Tamil arts and honours the artists who have shaped music, dance, visual arts, cinema, and more. 

Ways to Get Involved:

World Braille Day – Jan 4

World Braille Day was established in 2018, and marks the birthday of Louis Braille, creator of this writing system. This day celebrates awareness of the importance of braille as a means of communication in the full realization of the human rights for blind and visually impaired people 

Today’s reality is that many establishments, such as restaurants, banks, and hospitals, don’t offer braille versions of their print materials like menus, statements, and bills. Because of this, people with blindness or visual impairments often don’t have the freedom to choose a meal on their own or keep their finances private. World Braille Day spreads awareness about braille and other accessible forms of communication. 

Ways to Get Involved:

International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust (Holocaust Remembrance Day) – Jan 27

The International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust was officially established in 2005 to remember the Holocaust that affected many people of Jewish origin during World War II. It also commemorates when the Soviet troops liberated the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland on January 27, 1945. 

“Remembrance of the Holocaust obliges us to address the scars of the past; at the same time, it also obliges us to respect human rights and to respect an international order built on the fundamental principle that there is dignity in every human life” – Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of UNESCO 

Ways to Get Involved:

Lunar New Year  – Jan 29

The Lunar New Year — also known as the Spring Festival, Chinese New Year, Tet for Vietnamese Canadians, or Solnal for Korean Canadians — is celebrated in Canada and several other countries. The Lunar New Year marks the first day of spring of the Lìchūn calendar, which dates back much further than the regular Georgian calendar.

 
Lunar New Year celebrations vary by culture, but often includes fireworks/firecrackers, traditional foods, family visitations and gatherings, red envelopes, and wearing the colour red.  

Ways to Get Involved: