Hampshire Marks Interfaith Week With Launch of 2013 Calendar
23 November 2012
Schoolchildren from across Hampshire have come together to launch the new 2013 Hampshire Interfaith Calendar at an event at Hampshire County Council in Winchester.
To mark Interfaith Week (18 - 27 November 2012) 36 schoolchildren from schools across Hampshire picked up prizes for their entries to the competition coordinated by the Hampshire Interfaith Network (HIN) and Hampshire County Council, to find winning designs for the 2013 Calendar. The Culture, Communities and Business Services department were key in helping to produce the calendar, as well as the Religious Education Team in Children's Services who helped to promote the competition in schools.
Youngsters from infant, primary and secondary schools across Hampshire were encouraged to produce a drawing, painting, photo, picture or a combination of those to represent a religious event, in any one given calendar month of the year. Each winning calendar design relates to one of over a hundred religious festivals featured in the calendar from the nine faith groups represented.
In line with the pattern of national faith community bodies formally linked by the Interfaith Network for the UK, the nine faith groups supported by HIN are: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and the Baha'i faith. The Network's aim is to promote interfaith harmony and understanding for the benefit of the people of Hampshire by encouraging and promoting respect, communication and the knowledge of different faiths across the county.
Following the Calendar launch, on Thursday 22 November 2012 Hampshire County Council Chairman, Councillor Andrew Joy welcomed guests to the sixth annual Hampshire Interfaith Lecture, presented by guest speaker, Hindu teacher and theologian - Akhandadhi Das.
Commenting, Co-Chairman of the Hampshire Interfaith Network and Hampshire County Council Executive Member for Communities and International Relations, Councillor Keith Mans said:
"I would like to congratulate all the young artists who submitted their designs for this year's Calendar competition and once again, their entries were of outstanding quality.
"In addition to launching the new 2013 Calendar during this year's Interfaith Week, it has been a huge privilege to welcome Akhandadhi Das as our guest speaker for the annual Interfaith Lecture and I would like to thank him for his inspirational words. These events play a valuable role in building greater understanding between people of different faiths and cultures across the county, and Hampshire County Council is delighted to support this worthwhile event."
Find out more about the Hampshire Interfaith Calendar or order yours online today for £3.50.
Calendar
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