On Friday 20 March, students and staff at Queen’s University Belfast came together in the Blue Sky Room to mark the celebration of Eid al-Fitr.
The event was jointly organised by the One Elmwood International Student Engagement Team, the Diversity and Inclusion Unit, and the QUB iRise Staff Network, with support from the Queen’s Islamic Student Society and The Language Centre. It provided a valuable opportunity for members of the University community to come together, share food, and engage with cultural traditions in a welcoming and inclusive environment.
We would like to thank everyone who attended and contributed to making the celebration such a meaningful occasion.
This DEIB Forum series is dedicated to exploring and strengthening support for international students and staff at Queen’s.
The upcoming session will focus on “The Awarding Gap for International Students”, using a Law programme module as a case study. Drawing on research by a team of Law academics from diverse cultural backgrounds, the forum will examine the issue from an intercultural perspective, highlighting how a deeper understanding of international students’ experiences can inform more inclusive assessment practices.
The Forum includes a presentation, followed by a panel discussion led by Dr Victoria Barnes, Associate Dean of Education, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
This forum suits colleagues from QUB Schools and Faculties who are interested in this topic. Students and student society representatives are also welcome to attend and join in the discussion.
Agenda
Welcome and Introduction
Presentation
Panel discussion with Q&A
Closing remarks
Places are limited to max. 30 and we have the first-come, first-served policy. The registration form will be closed once places are taken, or by 5 pm, Friday 14th November the latest.
In honour of the World Day for Cultural Diversity (21 May), we invite all QUB students and staff to join a special Tandem Language Exchange on Monday, 19 May. This event is a fantastic opportunity to spark your interest in learning new languages, connect with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, and make new friends across campus.
Come celebrate diversity through language and conversation!
Cultural Diversity Survey
In addition, we would also like to invite you to contribute to our Cultural Diversity Survey by filling in the form so that we can better work with you to plan for the various cultural festivals and special days in the future.
Ever wondered how to pronounce Irish names like Caoimhe, Tadhg, or Saoirse? Join The Language Centre for a fun and interactive Irish Language Taster Session designed to help international students and staff (as well as local attendees) get to grips with the unique sounds of Irish names!
📅 Date: Wednesday, 2nd April 2025 🕚 Time: 13:00 – 14:00 📍 Venue: Auditorium, McClay Library, QUB 👉 Entry: free, but spaces are limited! Secure your spot now.
Whether you’re an international student, staff member, or simply curious about the Irish language, this session will help you understand and confidently pronounce Irish names, deepening your appreciation of Ireland’s rich linguistic heritage.
Happy International Nowruz Day to all those who celebrate!
“Afghan people say Nawruz and Iranian people say Nowruz, which doesn’t make any difference. It’s mainly because of our accent.”
Zahra Rahimi
Zahra Rahimi, a Queen’s alumnus with MSc in Advanced Food Safety, has just sent us the festive greeting and directed us to the cultures of practice from her personal perspective.
Today marks the first day of our new year in the solar calendar, which many of us celebrate as Nawruz—meaning “New Day.” It’s a time of renewal, joy, and fresh beginnings.
I just wanted to take a moment to send you a note and share our warmest New Year wishes with you! May this year bring you happiness, good health, and success in everything you do.
What is Nowruz/Nawruz?
Nowruz, meaning the ‘new day’, has its spelling varying from country to country, marking the first day of spring (usually occurs on 21 March) and celebrated as the beginning of the new year by more than 300 million people across the globe, with over 3,000-year-long tradition of celebrations in the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and other regions.
Nowruz is a rite dating back to at least the 6th century BCE, marking the new year and ushering in spring. Variously known as Novruz, Nowrouz, Nooruz, Navruz, Nauroz or Nevruz, this historic rite is observed on 21 March in many countries along the Silk Roads, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
If you would like to learn more about the Nowruz/Nawruz culture, you are welcome to join the Iranian Association of Queen’s University celebration event coming on next Wednesday 26th March.
On Monday, 2nd December, Queen’s students (including graduates and visiting students), alumni, and staff came together to celebrate International Volunteer Day with an engaging information session aimed at encouraging greater participation in the Cultural Diversity at Queen’s scheme.
Part of the participants attended the end-of-session group photo.
The event opened with a welcome address by Suyi Yang, the Student Union (SU) Officer for Equality and Diversity, who introduced the SU’s volunteering programs and hosted a lively Q&A session to address participants’ questions.
Ms. Dan Zhou, a Queen’s alumna and Marketing graduate, shared her inspiring journey as an international student taking on voluntary work during her studies. She highlighted the diverse events and activities she supported and reflected on the invaluable soft skills she developed through her volunteer work, particularly in intercultural settings. Dan’s volunteering experience played a pivotal role in her entrepreneurial success, helping her establish her local Belfast-based business, Eco Fresh Food.
Dan (right in picture) was sharing her experience as a volunteer when at Queen’s.
Dr. Liang Wang followed with an overview of the Cultural Diversity at Queen’s scheme. He encouraged students and staff to contribute to upcoming initiatives designed to promote diversity, equality, and inclusion within the Queen’s community. To illustrate, Dr. Wang shared examples from previous Chinese New Year celebrations, offering participants inspiration for their involvement in the upcoming Year of the Snake celebrations.
The informal networking session provided a platform for attendees to exchange ideas, brainstorm, and even outline a few provisional proposals for future cultural events.
Participants enjoyed hot finger foods provided by The Language Centre and refreshments generously sponsored by Ms. Dan Zhou.
The event was a lively celebration of the Queen’s community’s collaborative spirit, fostering connections and generating enthusiasm for making cultural diversity a central part of campus life.
Every year on 5th December, the United Nations celebrates its Volunteers Programme, recognizing “the power of collective humanity to drive positive change through volunteerism.”
At The Language Centre at Queen’s, we take pride in offering volunteering opportunities for students and staff to contribute to our Cultural Diversity scheme. Each year, we collaborate with passionate individuals to develop initiatives that celebrate and enrich the University’s cultural diversity. Learn more about our efforts at Cultural Diversity at Queen’s page.
To mark this special occasion, we warmly invite you to join us for an information session celebrating International Volunteer Day. This session will feature updates on our programme with upcoming events, and new opportunities for voluntary involvement.
Event Details: Date: Monday 2nd December 2024 Time: 12:00 – 15:00 Venue: The Auditorium, McClay Library
The event is free, but booking is required on a first-come, first-serve basis. A light lunch will be provided. Feel free to bring along colleagues and friends who may be interested in attending. We look forward to celebrating with you and exploring how we can make a positive impact together!
Scan the QR code above or click the button below to register.
Holi, or the festival of colours, is a religious occasion considered the second biggest Hindu festival after Diwali, generally celebrated by people from the north of India. It marks the beginning of spring after a long winter and signifies the triumph of good over evil. To those who celebrate, may your Holi be full of colour, love and happiness!
While we would like to hear how the celebration is to take place in Queen’s community this year, we want to invite you to read the post from Ying, on her last year’s experience of joining this celebration with her Indian friends at Queen’s.
This annual observance, which takes place on 21st February every year, is a celebration of cultural and linguistic diversity.
This afternoon, our Language Centre team joined the celebration of multilingualism at the launch of a new Staff Network for Promoting Linguistic Diversity & Minority Languages. This well-attended event is a wonderful celebration of a belief in the power of language to connect people. Preserving, respecting and learning languages is so important for building tolerance and empathy in our divided world.
Language – A Bridge; Not a Barrier!
Don’t forget that registration opens for our Spring term courses on 1st March, via our Language Centre Website.
On Monday 4th December, one day before the International Volunteer Day (5th December), The Language Centre invited students and staff members to join in the celebration of the day, with a particular information session on the Queen’s Chinese New Year Celebration programme for 2024.
Students and staff members, international and domestic, are all welcome to join us and be more engaged in the preparation for the development and delivery of events and activities that can bring together to enrich our proposed programme. The CNY Celebration Programme, as part of the overall Celebrating Cultural Diversity at Queen’s scheme, currently contains a number of events in collaboration with the iRISE (BAME and International Staff Network), The Graduate School, The Student Experience Team, and the Chinese Student Society at Queen’s.
We are pleased to make it inclusive as such and extend our welcomes to new partners and contributors. In particular, we are pleased that Chinese Student Society has made tremendous effort to bring the branded CNY Gala back to the stage (Saturday 3rd February), and that the Student Experience Team and the Graduate School are joining forces in facilitating the student-led CNY Fair (Thursday 8th February). Please mark the dates in your calendar and keep an eye on our further updates in the future.
We particularly welcome students and staff members to volunteer at our events, in a variety of forms including being an assistant, a performer, a host, a speaker, etc. Two student volunteers, Xinxin WANG and Tianpeng YAO, were also invited to share their experience of volunteering both at Queen’s, including serving last year’s CNY celebrations, and else where. They encouraged all new comers to embrace such a brilliant opportunity to not only enrich their life experience but also enhance their soft skills such as team work and coordinating ability, apart from their academic study and literacy.
How to join us?
For those who are interested in being part of our programme preparation team, please sign up via scanning the QR code or clicking the button below. We aim to discuss with you regarding your proposed ideas and plans of contribution to the Programme.
