All - Leep Calendar

September is declared "National Workforce Development Month" to underscore the importance of investing in US workers' education, training, and career growth. This commitment to workforce development is essential for the US to remain competitive in the global market. Collaboration between state and local governments, educational institutions, businesses, and community organizations ensures sustainable workforce growth across various sectors, including emerging industries. Notably, while 52% of jobs demand more than a high school diploma but not a bachelor's degree, only 42% of US workers have received training at that level. This disparity could hinder growth in evolving healthcare, manufacturing, and IT industries. Business leaders are voicing concerns, with 76% suggesting increased skills training investment would benefit their companies. As of summer 2021, the US saw: 1, Nearly 10 million unemployed individuals. 2. Disproportionate unemployment rates among Black and Hispanic adults compared to White adults. 3. Workers without a bachelor's degree face nearly double the unemployment rate. 4. Over half the jobs lost to the COVID-19 pandemic were held by those earning below $40,000 annually. 5. A recent poll showed nearly half of US workers believe they'll need new skills within a year, and many are open to retraining for different industries.

Africa

Sep

Workplace Lactation Week: September 1-7

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WORKPLACE LACTATION WEEK: SUPPORTING NURSING MOTHERS AT WORK Workplace Lactation Week, observed annually during the first week of August, is a dedicated effort to support nursing mothers in the workforce. The United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC), in collaboration with various health and labor organizations, champions the event. The initiative aims to promote awareness about the importance of breastfeeding and encourage workplaces to implement policies and practices that support lactating employees. BENEFITS OF BREASTFEEDING Breastfeeding is critically vital for infants' and mothers' health and well-being. Health organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child's life. Breastfeeding provides essential nutrients and antibodies that help protect infants from infections and chronic diseases. For mothers, it aids in postpartum recovery and reduces the risk of certain cancers and other health conditions. Workplace Lactation Week seeks to accomplish several goals. It advocates for the rights of nursing mothers, highlights the benefits of breastfeeding, and provides resources for employers to create lactation-friendly environments. The week-long observance encourages companies to implement supportive measures such as providing dedicated lactation rooms, flexible break times, and access to lactation consultants. COMPANIES AND NURSING MOMS Many companies are taking significant steps to accommodate nursing mothers. Progressive workplaces offer private, hygienic spaces equipped with comfortable seating, electrical outlets for breast pumps, and refrigeration for storing expressed milk. Some employers also provide lactation education and support programs to help mothers manage the balance between work and breastfeeding. Despite these efforts, breastfeeding mothers often face numerous obstacles in the workplace. Common challenges include: Inadequate facilities. Need more break time to pump milk. Need for more understanding and support from colleagues and supervisors. These barriers can make it difficult for mothers to continue breastfeeding after returning to work. Workplace Lactation Week aims to address these issues by fostering a culture of support and understanding. The USBC and its partners advocate for more robust policies, such as mandated lactation breaks and providing lactation rooms in all workplaces. They also provide employers with best practices and guidelines to help create a more inclusive environment for nursing mothers. CONCLUSION Workplace Lactation Week underscores the importance of breastfeeding and the need for collective action to support nursing mothers by promoting these initiatives. It reminds us that accommodating lactating employees is beneficial not only for their health and their children's health but also for the overall productivity and morale of the workplace.

Africa

Sep

Workplace Lactation Week: September 1-7 (est)

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Africa

Sep

Yoga Awareness Month, Ntl.: September

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National Yoga Month is a global campaign by the Yoga Health Foundation to educate, motivate, and inspire people to lead healthy lifestyles. Many yoga studios across the country offer free classes during the month and plan events to promote yoga practice. This event is supported by the US Government and increasingly by governments worldwide.

Africa

Sep

Youth Leadership Month, Ntl.: September

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National Youth Leadership Month encourages young people to take on leadership roles. Programs focus on creating opportunities through teachers, schools, and after-school programs. The objective of this month is to raise awareness of opportunities, assist in developing young leaders and provide training, resources, and the ability to learn by doing through hands-on engagement. Previously observed in February.

Africa

Sep

Zero Waste Week (UK): September 1-7

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Zero Waste Week falls on the first Monday of September and is celebrated for one week. This event raises awareness of the impact of landfill on the environment and ways to reduce landfills. Although newsletters are sent all year round and fresh content on their site, Zero Waste Week officially starts in September. Zero Waste Week began in 2008.

Africa

Sep

Beheading Day, Intl. (1685): September 2

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International Beheading Day marks the anniversary of the execution of Lady Alice Lisle on September 2, 1685, at the age of 63. Lady Lisle was part of the English gentry, and her crime was treason. She was found guilty of harboring John Hickes in her residence. Hickes was a preacher and non-conformist (at the time a severe crime) who participated in the Monmouth Rebellion against the king at the Battle of Sedgemoor. At her trial, Lady Lisle insisted she did not know that he was a wanted man and was offering shelter. Despite not knowing she was breaking the law, The Crown declared her guilty of treason, and her sentence was death. What makes Lady Lisle's execution unusual is motive. Evidence later revealed it was a revenge killing, a judicial murder ordered by Judge Jeffreys. The judge was engaged in several disagreements with Lady and Lord Lisle, and presiding over her trial, and passing her sentence, allowed him to settle a score. Today we refer to this as judicial misconduct and, depending upon circumstances, murder. The trial and beheading of Lady Lisle initiated reforms in England promoting the recusing of judges, litigators, government officials, and barristers involved in a trial where bias, personal gain, or affiliation could hamper their ability to uphold the law or serve impartially. Parliament issued Lady Lisle a posthumous pardon due to "the menaces and violence and other illegal practices" of Judge Jeffreys. The last beheading in England occurred in 1747.

Africa

Sep

Bison-Ten-Yell Day: September 2

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Bison-Ten-Yell Day is a play on words. When said quickly, it sounds like "bicentennial." This process of taking one sound or battle cry to remember another is a shared memory aid trick. How often have you used word association to remember someone's name or a fact for a test? That is what Bison-ten-yell is all about.

Africa

Sep

Coconut Day, World: September 2

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Created in 2009, World Coconut Day celebrates one of the world's most versatile fruits. Coconuts provide fibers for textiles (and mosquito repellant), water for drinking, and a dense fruit used in several dishes throughout tropical climates. Coco is "skull" in Portuguese and references the size of the fruit, equal to that of a man's skull. The primary cultivators of coconuts are Indonesia, The Philipines, India, Brazil, and Sri Lanka.

Africa

Sep

Independence Day Holiday, (VN)(1945): September 2

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Independence Day in Viet Nam marks the anniversary of September 2, 1945, the official day of independence from France. Independence Day is a national holiday.

Africa

Sep

Japan Formerly Surrenders (1945): September 2

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September 2, 1945, marks Japan officially surrendering to the Allied Powers. Although the surrender was announced by Imperial Japan almost 20 days earlier, the treaty's signing occurred on September 2. This move led to the end of WWII in the Pacific. By the mid-year of 1945, the resources to make weapons for the Imperial Army were scarce, disabling the Imperial Japanese Navy from producing more weapons and, thereby, reducing the number of operations in the area. The Allied Forces and China called for the surrender of the Imperial Army on July 26, 1945, in the Potsdam Declaration. While the Imperial Army stated that they would not surrender, it was having negotiations with the Soviet Union to have a peaceful surrender with terms more amenable to Japan. However, the Soviets were preparing to attack the Japanese Army in East Asia as agreed with the United States prior, specifically at the Yalta and Tehran Conferences. On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima. By the evening of the same day, President Harry S. Truman called for the surrender of the Japanese Imperial Army. After three days, the Soviet Union invaded Manchukuo, a state occupied by Japan. Later that day, the United States released a second atom bomb over Nagasaki. Emperor Hirohito accepted the Allied terms conceived at the Potsdam Declaration. By August 15, he announced to the entire Empire through a radio broadcast that Japan would surrender to the Allied Forces. It was in the USS Missouri (NN-53) that the official surrender commenced on September 2, 1945.

Africa

Sep

Play Days: September 2-6

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Americans are severely starved for vacation days, with just seven paid holidays a year. A month off or longer is expected in Europe and most of the world. When this writer worked in the Middle East, I had 53 days off a year. Those were the days. But I digress. No matter. Play Days expands the Labor Day Weekend through the following weekend. It's a chance to laugh and play like ten years olds, and life can return to normal the following week. Enjoy!

Africa

Sep

Cromwell Day (UK)(1658): September 3

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September 3, 1658, is the anniversary of the death of Oliver Cromwell, one of the most controversial and infamous politicians in British history. He is one of two famous Cromwells. The first, Sir Thomas Cromwell, his great uncle, served under King Henry VIII until his execution in 1540. Oliver Cromwell was a military and political leader and Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. By the 1630s, Cromwell became the equivalent of a "Born Again Christian." In his day, the reference was "Congregation of the firstborn," a derivative of Puritanism. His starkly conservative religiosity informed his decisions from this point forward, believing that the whole of England had fallen into sin and the Crown should eradicate the Catholic faith from the country. On December 16, 1653, Cromwell was sworn in as Lord Protector of Britain, four years after the January 30, 1649, execution of King Charles I (which Cromwell authorized). Under his rule, with the assistance of parliament, Cromwell sought to reunite the nation, currently at odds due to civil war and uncertainty, and enforce a moral doctrine upon the people. Many believed he usurped monarchical power, and this brutal imposition of Puritanism would stain his record posthumously. He died of disease on September 3, 1658, at the age of 59. But his story doesn't end with his death. King Charles II, restored to the throne in 1659, so hated Cromwell for killing his father that his remains were dug up on January 30, 1661, and he was posthumously executed. It sounds like an oxymoron, but the King killed a dead man. Then his remains were hung in public, with his head stuck on a pike. Years later, his reputation would be restored. Some, such as the writer John Milton, saw him as a "Hero of Liberty." Others, including Winston Churchill, viewed him as a regicidal dictator and genocidal. Due to their strong affinity to Catholicism, the Irish and Scottish have issues with him to this day. In 2002, the British parliament voted Oliver Cromwell one of the Ten Greatest Britons of All Time. Acceptance of this label depends upon where one sits on the religious scale. Whatever your opinion of Oliver Cromwell, there is one thing all can agree on: his life left a profound legacy and helped the United Kingdom become what it is today.

Africa

Sep

Health and Physical Education Day (AU): September 3 (est)

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Health & Physical Education (HPE) Day is a nationwide initiative highlighting the importance of HPE in the Australian curriculum and its influence on childhood development and learning. This event occurs annually in September and seeks collaboration with parents, teachers, school administrators, and caregivers.

Africa

Sep

Independence Day, (QA)(1971): September 3

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Independence Day in Qatar marks the anniversary of September 3, 1971, the official day Qatar became an independent nation. Independence Day is a national holiday held annually on the first Monday of August.

Africa