In a nutshell:
First 'Colors of ROSEN' event on the occasion of Diversity Day with focus on culture
Culinary week in our company restaurant ROFRESH
Quick introduction in different languages of our international colleagues
Joint donation campaign for the 'Integrationslotsen' (integration guides) in Lingen
Colorful lights, flags from all over the world and flowers in a wide variety of colors adorn our company restaurant. The smell of exotic spices is in the air, unfamiliar sounds reach the ears and the taste of refreshing ice cream is on the tongue: Our intercultural week 'Colors of ROSEN' was truly a feast for the senses.
50 Nationalities on Site
At the end of May, on the occasion of the international Diversity Day, we jointly discovered the colorful variety of different cultures at ROSEN at the Lingen (Ems) site. This was an important first step towards dealing more intensively with the topic of diversity in the future. This year, the focus was on culture and, in particular, culinary arts, as colleagues with 50 different nationalities work in Lingen.
Recipes From All Over the World
In order to properly celebrate cultural diversity in our company, the participation of each and every individual was crucial. For example, our colleagues submitted recipes from their home countries, which were cooked at ROFRESH over the course of the week. There was Pad Thai, Beef Rendang from Indonesia, Serbian Moussaka, Ajiaco from Colombia, Indian Butter Chicken, and Bacalhau a Bras, a Portuguese dish made with salt cod, onions, fried potatoes, and egg.
Language Courses by Colleagues for Colleagues
The highlight of the week was Wednesday. Already in the morning the first language courses started, in which many of you participated. Here, colleagues from a wide variety of departments introduced their native languages with 'crash courses' and taught the participants the most important phrases in Spanish, Thai, Portuguese, Tamil, Serbian and even Bavarian ;-).
Donation Campaign for Integration
At the same time, the project team positioned itself in front of ROFRESH and handed out cookbooks in exchange for small donations. Included in the cookbooks: All dishes that had been sent in by colleagues, bringing anticipation for many great culinary experiences, accompanied by many exciting facts about the countries of origin. The donations collected (totaling €500) will benefit the 'Integrationslotsen' (integration guides) in Lingen. With this, we support volunteers who help people with a migration background in our region to settle into their new home.
International Sundaes
In addition to the ROFRESH menu, an ice cream truck was also on site on Wednesday. Here, all colleagues could grab colorful sundaes, appropriately named after the flag colors of the countries. "One Vietnam, please," it rang out across the courtyard. In other words: strawberry and mango ice cream. This was also an incentive for many conversations among the colleagues, in which one or the other phrase just learned even fell. In general, the day was characterized by exchange, opportunities to talk about different cultures, and a convivial get-together.
Put Your Hand On It!
Finally, all visitors could immortalize themselves with a colorful fingerprint on a large canvas prepared by the pupils of our bilingual grade school ROBIGS as they also celebrated Diversity Day with musical and dance performances, information booths about different countries and an international buffet.
Thank you to everyone who sent in recipes, gave or participated in language courses, donated and shared ideas with us. And in general to everyone who was there on the day and celebrated with us the colorful diversity and cultural variety of our ROSEN family. We're so happy that so many of you helped make the week happen, and we're excited to see what we'll come up with together at future events. Maybe even with a new, additional theme to further approach the topic area of 'Diversity, Equity and Inclusion'. Stay tuned!