Daylong Observances
July 24: International Self Care Day
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines self-care as “individuals, families and communities’ promoting and maintaining their own health, preventing disease, and coping with illness and disability, with or without the support of a health worker.”
International Self-Care Day (ISD), observed annually on July 24th, promotes healthy lifestyle self-care programs worldwide. Created by the International Self-Care Foundation (ISD) in 2011, ISD provides a platform for individuals and groups to independently advocate for self-care within their communities. Health care contributors are invited to responsibly use ISD to advance healthy lifestyles and overall wellness. The International Self-Care Foundation offers support to organizations conducting public health programs aligned with these goals and requests summary reports for future reference and potential implementation elsewhere.
The DEI team at NASW acknowledges there is no singular definition of “healthy lifestyle”, nor is there intended to be, because it means a myriad of things to different populations, cultures and societies, and they are intersectional and can all be valid. The NASW honors the importance of self-care in the practice of social work and encourages the practice of self-care in the purpose section of the most current NASW Code of Ethics.
The Seven Pillars of Self-Care - ISF (isfglobal.org)
Dr Manjulaa Narasimhan: Self-care interventions for health and well-being - YouTube
July 30: International Day of Friendship Day
Through genuine connections and mutual understanding, friendships foster empathy, compassion, and a shared commitment to justice. By standing together, friendship can raise awareness, advocate for change, and contribute to initiatives that address challenges locally, nationally and globally. Friendship strengthens the bonds of humanity, inspiring collective action and driving positive transformations in our societies.
The United Nations (UN) established the International Day of Friendship in 2011 to foster peace among all people, countries, cultures. It focuses on engaging young people in activities that promote respect for all human rights, sustainable development, democratic participation cultural understanding and others.
The International Day of Friendship builds on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proposal for a Culture of Peace, which rejects violence and focuses on addressing causes of conflicts. This proposal was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1997.
UNESCO: mainstreaming the culture of peace - UNESCO Digital Library
A/65/L.72 (undocs.org)