Updated: May 01, 2023

Global Diversity Awareness Month Ideas for Work

You found our list of the best Global Diversity Awareness Month ideas for work.

Global Diversity Awareness Month ideas are activities that celebrate the diversity, contributions, and values of communities and cultures across the globe every October. Examples include multicultural film festivals, diversity book clubs, and diversity trivia. The purpose of these activities is to recognize and appreciate the unique perspectives of each team member. Global diversity awareness month ideas are important for companies that want workers to appreciate the unique identities of other employees.

These celebrations are examples of workplace diversity and inclusion activities and inclusive workplace best practices. This holiday is similar to Black History Month, Asian Pacific Heritage Month, Jewish Heritage Month, and Arab American Heritage Month.

This list includes:

  • Global Diversity Awareness Month activities
  • Global Diversity Awareness Month event ideas
  • Diversity Awareness Month games
  • Diversity Awareness Month quotes

Let’s get started!

List of Global Diversity Awareness Month ideas

Global Diversity Awareness activities are some of the best ideas that companies can use to leverage workers’ diverse perspectives. These activities will improve productivity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills among your workforce. From cultural art exhibitions to dance parties and diversity logo contests, here is a list of the best ideas that your company can implement during Global Diversity Awareness Month.

1. Lunch and Learns

Lunch and learns are Global Diversity Awareness Month activities that companies can host on virtual platforms or in person. For an in-person setup, you could combine the lunch and learn sessions with a company-wide potluck. All employees can bring their favorite local dish and share the significance of the food or drinks with other workers. If you are hosting virtual Global Diversity Awareness activities, then you can request all participants to snack on ethnic meals during the learning session. While you can book a speaker for the learning session, we would encourage companies to give each employee a chance to speak up about unique perspectives from their heritage. Be sure to keep the learning session light-hearted to promote team bonding.

Here is a list of virtual lunch and learn ideas.

2. Multicultural Film Festivals

A multicultural film festival is a remarkable way to celebrate Global Diversity Awareness Month. You could invite your workforce to a multicultural film viewing in the office or at a local theater. Another fantastic idea for large companies is sponsoring a multicultural film festival in collaboration with local movie theaters or community groups. After the end of the festival, you can indulge your team in a diversity learning session. For instance, you could ask participants to compare how different cultures across the globe would view the film themes.

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3. Company-Wide Potluck

As one of the best ways to promote team bonding, a company-wide potluck is a fantastic avenue to promote diversity. You could start by requesting each participant to bring their best dishes. Then, let each team taste food or drinks from all team members. You could even make the company-wide potluck by having blindfold food-tasting competitions. With a diverse workforce, workers may not easily guess the food’s name. As such, participants could guess the country of origin of each meal. You could even collect recipes and distribute a collection as gifts to the entire workforce.

4. Diversity Book Club

If you want to start the conversations around diversity awareness in a fun way, then creating a diversity club is a fantastic idea. The intentional space will allow team members to discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion topics and get fresh perspectives. Workers will also be able to share diverse personal stories, ideas, and information in depth. You could let willing employees participate and take turns selecting specific reading resources or book themes. Different workers can also lead around specific chapters. You could start with a monthly book reading to enable participants to get into a habit. Then, transition into varying schedules depending on your team’s needs.

Check out this link of diversity and inclusion books for work.

5. Mentorship Program

Mentorship programs are some of the best ways companies can promote diversity while giving back to the community. You can pair underprivileged youths with professionals. It helps to recruit diverse mentors who can speak to the identity-specific experience of being in the industry. Through these programs, you can also run career-centric events. For instance, multicultural students can attend job fairs and learn about different career options. Similarly, college graduates can explore new opportunities as older workers get tips on becoming more employable. These initiatives will promote the brand image and offer networking opportunities with prospects.

Here is a list of mentorship program ideas.

6. Gestures Around the World

With the wide variety of communication with gestures, your team may unknowingly offend locals when traveling. Communities often have varying gestures, and what may be a nice sign in your region may be an insult in another area.

Examples of unique gestures across the world:

  • In most locations across the globe, nodding the head means ‘yes’ while side-to-side head nods mean ‘no.’ However, in Bulgaria and Greece, shaking the head or tilting to one side means ‘yes’ while nodding the head means ‘no.’
  • Three-finger and raised-arm salutes are illegal in Thailand.
  • It is offensive to show your foot or shoe or use the feet to point at objects in India.
  • In American and European cultures, the gesture ‘thumbs up’ signifies agreement or approval. However, in some Asian and Islamic cultures, the motion is a major insult.
  • In the US and the UK, forming an ‘O’ with your index finger and thumb is renowned as the ok gesture. However, in Brazil, the gesture means backside, which is an insult.

You could have a session where each team member mentions one different body language or taboo from their culture. Workers can also give insights into unique gestures from their ethnicity or culture.

7. Culture and Diversity Slack Channel

If you have a diverse group, then chances are that employees celebrate a range of holidays. One way to draw attention to these different occasions is to create a designated Slack channel. You can find out which holidays your team members observe and post general well-wishes to honor the days. Employees can also share photos and descriptions of these celebrations.

Creating a culture and diversity Slack channel is a fantastic way to celebrate ethnic and religious holidays year-round. Once you create the channel, you could start the diversity topic by letting each employee introduce themselves and state where their country of origin. You can then use the Slack channel to share current DEI events, announcements, relevant resources, and the company’s diversity policy. If you want to help other workers learn details about the holiday, you could even go further and provide information about each holiday. Finally, to foster team bonding, encourage other employees to leave thoughtful messages to other workers during each celebration.

Check out more Slack channel ideas.

8. Cultural Art Exhibitions

Team tours to cultural art exhibitions are some of the best Global Diversity Awareness Month event ideas. Workers will experience and learn about different cultural practices or objects through these exhibitions. If you are planning an in-person tour, then you could get suggestions from your workforce on the best cultural art exhibitions in your area. For a remote workforce, you can schedule a time when all workers are available and offer vouchers for cultural art exhibitions in each team member’s vicinity. Then, let participants snap pictures and share them with other workers via an online conferencing platform.

9. Diversity Trivia

Team trivia sessions are some of the simplest ways to initiate the diversity conversation in your workforce. You can either compile a list of questions or seek suggestions from team members.

Examples:

  • How many languages can you speak fluently?
  • Have you ever worked with a colleague from a different culture? How was the experience?
  • Have you ever experienced bias in the workplace?
  • Which is the most linguistically diverse country globally? – Papua New Guinea
  • Which is the most linguistically diverse content in the world? – Africa
  • Name two co-workers who speak more than two languages

Diversity trivia provides an opportunity for workers to expand their knowledge and also learn more about their colleagues.

Check out this list of trivia night ideas.

10. Dance Party

Dance parties are some of the best ways that your team can experience and appreciate different cultures. You could start by inviting ethnic dance instructors to your office or schedule the activity on online conferencing platforms. Then, let the instructor teach ethnic dance styles from different cultures. Next, team members could learn the dance and send a video replicating the moves on Zoom.

Examples of global dances:

  • The Samba- Brazil
  • The Flamenco- Spain
  • Adumu- Kenya and Tanzania
  • The Haka- New Zealand
  • Chilean Cueca- Chile

If you work with a tight budget, you could encourage willing participants to showcase dances from their cultures.

11. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Program

The need for an equitable and safe workplace is a vital consideration in a diverse workforce. As such, you could encourage all team members to promote a fair workforce through DEI programs. DEI in the workplace refers to a company’s actions to transform team members’ behaviors, mindsets, and practices toward an equitable work environment. These activities will reduce the risk of employee disengagement and dissatisfaction with a stressful work environment. Workers will also get insights into positive attitudes and behaviors that foster inclusive work relationships.

Check out this guide to workplace diversity programs.

12. Diversity Infographics

One of the simplest ways to show recognition for team members’ diversity is by sharing diversity infographics in your workforce. Depending on your company policy and individual preference, you could share the information on company social media accounts or internally. Workers can state something they love about their ethnicity. For instance, you could showcase the number of workers from each country and let each participant share their experience growing up. Participants could also share notable cultural differences they have experienced throughout their lives. Other examples of demographic infographics include the percentage of bilingual workers and different generations in your company.

13. Storytelling Sessions

Storytelling sessions are fantastic Global Diversity Awareness Month event ideas that will promote communication skills among your workforce. Teams can share stories about unique differences, such as their experience growing up or their struggles in conforming to certain diversities. You could give each participant 10 to 20 minutes to share their experiences, depending on the number of workers. You can also invite influential persons from different cultures for a company-wide storytelling session.

14. Diversity Logo Contest

As one of the most creative activities, a diversity logo contest is a fantastic idea for Global Diversity Awareness Month. For a workforce with less than 30 workers, you can let each participant design the diversity logo. If you have a large workforce, then you could group participants into teams of five to ten workers. Each group will design its diversity logo, and the winning team will get company-wide or departmental bragging rights. You can then print the logo on items and gift the entire workforce. Be sure to provide prizes for the winners.

15. Global Music Varieties

Playing different music across the globe on a rotation basis is a great way to reinforce diversity in your workplace. For instance, if you have a physical office, then you can set up music from different cultures when a call is on hold. You could even ask your workforce to send music suggestions from their heritage and culture. Another great idea is hiring different cultural musical groups for a live performance.

16. Story Links

Story links tops the list of Diversity Awareness Month games for your workforce. You can start this activity by requesting one team member to mention one unique trait. For instance, ‘I was born in New York, but grew up in Seattle.’ The next participant can continue the statement using the participant’s last word. In this case, the other team member could state: ‘My best friend lives in Seattle and has an adorable dog’. The activity will continue until every participant shares one unique trait about themselves. To encourage team bonding, you could let the workers ask questions between the statements.

17. Where Were You When?

The ‘where were you when’ activity is one of the best icebreakers for Global Diversity Awareness Month. In this activity, the host will lead the team through questions that take participants back to historical times. The team leader could ask participants, ‘ Where were you when’ a historic event occurred? To prevent remembering sad events, you could focus on positive historical events. These questions will reveal team members’ distinct identities, such as age and ethnicity.

18. Diversity Item Collection

The diversity item collection is a simple activity that will pave the way for diversity conversations. You could start by asking each team member to bring in an item with cultural significance. For example, participants can bring in currency, hair ties, chopsticks, musical instruments, pottery, and ornaments. Then, let each participant detail the item’s significance to their culture. Other team members can also contribute to the importance of an article regardless of who brought the object. For instance, the significance of a specific musical instrument could be bringing communities together. You can then let participants explore the musical trends in different cultures and modern trends.

19. Country or State Flags

The country or state flag idea is a fantastic Global Diversity Awareness activity for remote or in-person teams. For an in-person workforce, you could request to bring in a printed copy of a country or state flag where they were born. Remote workers can share pictures of the flags through an online platform. Then, let each participant provide a brief history and the cultural significance of the flag symbols or colors. Another fun country or state flags idea is the guess the flag quiz game. The game will test participants’ knowledge about global communities in an entertaining way.

20. Question of the Day

If you are looking for daily Global Diversity Awareness Month ideas, then you can try the question of the day activity. For this idea, you could create a daily question related to cultures and send it to participants via email. Then, offer a multicultural-themed incentive for the first employee who gets the answer.

Examples:

  • How many stars does the American flag have? – 50
  • What is the name and nationality of the first man to spacewalk? – Aleky Leonov, Russian
  • Who is the Greek goddess of wisdom and war? – Athena
  • What is the origin of the Olympic game? – Greece
  • Who is the fastest woman on water skis? – Kitty O’Neal

You can expand the range of questions by requesting every team member to send a challenging quiz. However, workers will not participate in their own questions or share answers with other employees.

Here are more random questions to foster interaction.

17 Diversity Awareness Month quotes

From a happier workforce to increased business results and employee innovation, building and maintaining the needs of a diverse workforce has immense benefits. Here are diversity and inclusion quotes to inspire positive DEI policies in workspaces.

  1. “What divides us pales in comparison to what unites us” – Edward Kennedy
  2. “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”. – Martin Luther King, Jr
  3. “Diversity in all its forms is the path to greatness.” – James D Wilson
  4. “We are all different, which is great because we are all unique. Without diversity, life would be very boring.” – Catherine Pulsifer
  5. “Diversity: the art of thinking independently together.” – Malcolm Forbes
  6. “We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race.” – Kofi Annan
  7. “Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible – the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family.” – Virginia Satir
  8. “Diversity is a mix and inclusion is making the mix work.” – Andrés Tapia
  9. “Diversity is a fact, but inclusion is a choice we make every day. As leaders, we have to put out the message that we embrace and not just tolerate diversity.” – Nellie Borrero
  10. “To me, beauty is inclusion– every size, every color– that’s the world I live in.” – Prabal Gurung
  11. “Diversity requires commitment. Achieving superior performance diversity can produce further action– most notably, a commitment to develop a culture of inclusion. People do not just need to be different, they need to be fully involved and feel their voices are heard.” – Alain Dehaze
  12. “We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.” – Maya Angelou
  13. “Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common. Celebrate it every day.” – Winston Churchill
  14. “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” – Audre Lorde
  15. “We are building products that people with very diverse backgrounds use, and I think we all want our company makeup to reflect the makeup of the people who use our products.” – Sheryl Sandberg
  16. “When we listen and celebrate what is both common and different, we become wiser, more inclusive, and better as an organization.” – Pat Wadors
  17. “We know that diversity can sometimes be more uncomfortable because things are less familiar – but it gets the best results.” – Megan Smith

Check out this extensive list of Diversity Awareness Month quotes

Conclusion

Fostering cultural diversity and equality is a major challenge that entities face. To promote diversity and alleviate prejudices, companies must frequently recognize and celebrate diversity in the workplace. Regardless of the type of ideas you pick to celebrate diversity, your main objective should be to increase team members’ knowledge around the topic and foster connections. Through these global diversity awareness month ideas, companies benefit from higher employee engagement and a better brand image.

Next, check out this list of virtual DEI activities or this comprehensive list of Juneteenth Celebration Ideas for work.

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FAQ: Global Diversity Awareness Month ideas

Here are answers to common questions about global awareness month ideas

What is Global Diversity Awareness Month?

Global Diversity Awareness Month serves as a period of recognition for traditions, cultures, and the benefits of diversity across the globe. Communities worldwide observe Global Diversity Awareness Month in October.

What are some good Global Diversity Awareness Month ideas for work?

Global Diversity Awareness activities offer companies an avenue to get different perspectives from workers. Some good Global Diversity Awareness Month ideas at work include diversity item collection, company-wide potluck, and storytelling sessions.

How do you celebrate Diversity Awareness Month in the workplace?

With the wide variety of activities to promote diversity at work, companies may face dilemmas in selecting Global Awareness Month ideas. A good bet is to consider your team’s preferences, the work arrangement, and the results that you want to achieve. You can celebrate Diversity Awareness Month in the workplace by reinforcing the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion program or through lunch and learn sessions.

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Author:

People & Culture Director at teambuilding.com.
Grace is the Director of People & Culture at TeamBuilding. She studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, Information Science at East China Normal University and earned an MBA at Washington State University.

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