ACTION DAYS

MARCH
7th Clean up Australia Day www.cleanup.org.au
21st Harmony Day see below
21ST World Forestry Day
22ND World Water Day www.worldwaterday.org
23rd World Meteorological Day www.wmo.int

28th Earth Hour www.earthhour.org

APRIL
2nd- 5th Easter
7th World Health Day www.who.int/world-health-day
22nd Earth Day www.earthday.net

25th Anzac Day
MAY
9th Mother’s Day
15th International Day of Families www.familiesaustralia.org.au
People were encouraged to explore ways in which they could recognise value and support the people who make a vital difference to the wellbeing of their family. They could have a family meal and talk about each person’s contribution to the family, hold a family reunion to thank the family member who seems to keep everyone in contact or start a family project that helps others

JUNE
5th World Environment Day www.unep.org
JULY
11th World Population Day
www.unfpa.org

AUGUST
2nd National Tree Day treeday.toyota.com.au
24th-30th Keep Australia Beautiful Week www.kab.org

Late August Banana Festival- walk in parade

SEPTEMBER
1st – 30th Save the Koala Month www.savethekoala.com

1st National Wattle Day www.wattleday.asn.au
5th Father’s Day
7th National Threatened Species Day www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/tsday/index.html

7th- 13th Landcare Week www.landcareonline.com.au
18th- 20th Clean Up the World www.cleanuptheworld.org


OCTOBER
4th- 10th World Space Week www.spaceweek.org
9th- 24th Tweed River Festival Tweed River Festival highlights the importance of the river and our need to care for it and the broader environment. There are fun activities during the week leading up to the lantern parade and fireworks at Jack Evans Boat Harbour on 24 October
18th- 24th National Water Week www.nationalwaterweek.org.au
31st Halloween

NOVEMBER
9th- 15th National Recycling Week www.recyclingweek.planetark.org
16th International Day of Tolerance


DECEMBER
7th- 13th National Coastcare Week www.coastcare.com.au
25th Christmas

HARMONY DAY MARCH 21ST
Girl Guides Australia, Scouts Australia, Woolworths and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship have built a mutually beneficial partnership over the past eight years celebrating and promoting Harmony Day. The 2010 Harmony Day, Saturday 21 March, weekend of 21-22 March, 2010, will be no exception.
With Harmony Day 2010 and its message of Everyone Belong approaching, Girl Guides Australia is presented again with a wonderful chance to demonstrate our support for this day and raise our profile within local communities. This year, an official Woolworth’s store letter has not been provided. However, as has happened in previous years, there are opportunities within some Woolworth’s stores for local Girl Guide Units to run Harmony Day promotions.

This year, your Group is again invited to approach your local Woolworths store manager seeking support to hold a Harmony Day event. All Woolworths store managers have been issued with advice from the Woolworths Head Office regarding Harmony Day and the possibility of their local Guide Unit approaching them to become involved.

Previously support has been in the form of small donations of funds/vouchers/store items to help with a BBQ, raffle or similar. Woolworth’s support for Harmony Day is funded from Community Grant funds held within the local store which are used at their discretion. The range of in-kind support Woolworths/Safeway stores are likely to provide is dependant on the particular store’s current budget.

Each store manager has the discretion as to whether they are able to support Girl Guides and Harmony Day this year. Location also plays a factor in their ability to host a promotion, so keep in mind whether a store is freestanding, or part of a shopping centre, and the amount of room that may be available.

Approaching your local Woolworths Store.
If you wish to approach your local Woolworths store, NOW is the time to do it. Our advice is that store managers may be less busy before noon on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so this may be an appropriate time for you to contact them. If you are unsure of the contact details they are available on www.woolworths.com.au under the Store Locator. In some locations you may also need to gain permission from the shopping centre management. This will be advised when you discuss the promotion with your store manager.
Ideas
As the locations and facilities vary between Woolworths stores, your Group needs to be flexible when approaching the store manager. Some ideas you could suggest are:
Sausage Sizzle
Many stores have their own BBQ units which can be used. Store managers may donate the ingredients or sell them to Units at cost. Groups may then keep profits, as well as display Harmony Day Promotional material, and other Girl Guides display material. This promotion is generally restricted to free-standing stores.

Raffle or Other Competition
Woolworths may donate goods, for example a multicultural food hamper, Easter eggs, Woolworths Wish Gift Card or other prize available from the store. You will need to discuss with your store manager where the prize will be displayed and where you can sell tickets. If it is outside the Woolworths store, then the Centre Manager will need to be asked for permission as well.
General Display
Woolworths may be able to allocate space for a general Girl Guides/Harmony Day general display which you may use for general information and recruitment.
Other ideas
Depending on the ages of the youth members involved, you may be able to fundraise by varying methods such as assisting shoppers, carrying shopping bags etc.
Register Your Event for Promotional Material
No matter what Harmony Day event you are planning, register your event at www.harmony.gov.au and order the promotional material to be sent to you directly. Please place your orders for promo material directly with Kerri Eckhardt from the Department of Immigration outlining the quantities you require. Kerri can be contacted via email at kerri.eckhardt@immi.gov.au Stocks are already running low so Units are urged to order NOW as to avoid missing out.

Participating in a Harmony Day Event is an excellent way to promote Girl Guides in your local community. Girl Guides is keen to see as many Guiding Units as possible participating in this event with its wonderful message of inclusiveness.

The events page of the Girl Guides NSW & ACT website has a press release for you to use, the guide to products available from the Department of Immigration and details of the photo and video competition open to all units. https://www.girlguides-nswact.org.au/new_events

When you have confirmed an event with your store, please advise the State Harmony Day Coordinator at stateteam@girlguides-nswact.org.au of the type of event your group is staging and at which particular store.

Good luck and happy Harmony Day!