HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Each year institutions globally choose topics to highlight and promote. This issue of LEEP Happenings looks at the 16 official themes in 2023.
Some trends hailed by institutions for 2023 include Bloomberg's reporting that Vishwanath Tirupattur of Morgan Stanley dubbed 2023 the Year of the Yield. He expects investors to move away from equities and into fixed-income products in 2023. Time Magazine projects 2023 as the Year of Worker Strikes with the continued growth in union organizing. InfoWorld suggests 2023 will be the Year of the Kubernetes—when companies move from single-source cloud computing to multiple locations.
Decade events were covered in a previous edition. Discover them here https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/long-view-decade-events-2022-ld-lewis
Let's take a look at the official annual events for 2023.
1) Career—2023 European Year of Skills
Location: European Union
Champion: European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA)
European Year of Skills focuses on non-formal adult learning and education, which teaches and provides training and professional development designed to advance careers and improve society as part of life-long learning.
2) Chinese Year of the Rabbit (4721): January 22 - February 9
Location: China
Champion: Chinese Astrology
The Chinese calendar is the backdrop of the Chinese year and is based upon the moon's phases and runs in 12-year cycles, each year denoting a different animal in the Chinese astrological lineup. 2023 is the year of the water rabbit. Numerically, this year would be 4721.
The rabbit is associated with the moon and the early daylight hours. Men born under the rabbit are polite, and women born this year are very social. Both tend to be artistic, sensitive, and wonderful life partners.
Overall, the year of the rabbit projects to be far more peaceful and serene than years past. It's time to recharge.
3) Culture—2023 is the Year of Music
Location: United Kingdom & International
Champion: Borough of Kirklees, Leeds
Kudos to West Yorkshire, England. The region is, without a doubt, the most celebratory metropolitan district this year.
Enter Kirklees' Year of Music, a stand-alone event of the Year of Culture. Kirklees is a suburb of Leeds renowned for its international music and variety of musicians. Year of Music focuses on the diversity of music styles, education, training, and skills. Secondary focuses include music to increase physical well-being, community, and professionalism.
You do not need to be in England to participate or sponsor. The Year of Music is international.
4) Diplomacy—2023 is the International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace
Location: Worldwide
Champion: United Nations
"The United Nations Declares 2023 as the International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace. In so doing, it underlines that the International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace constitutes a means of mobilizing the efforts of the international community to promote peace and trust among nations based on, inter alia, political dialogue, negotiations, mutual understanding, and cooperation, to build sustainable peace, solidarity, and harmony.
In declaring this year, the United Nations calls upon the international community to resolve conflicts through inclusive dialogue and negotiation to strengthen peace and trust in Member States as a value that promotes sustainable development, peace and security, and human rights."
—United Nations Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 6 December 2022
5) Economy—2023 is the Year of Economic Cooperation
Location: Egypt & Tunisia
Champion: Governments of Egypt and Tunisia
Egypt and Tunisia declared 2023 as their Year of Economic Cooperation in May 2022. It is apropos as two of the largest and most vibrant economies in North Africa.
On May 13, 2022, Foreign Policy Magazine published the article, "It's Africa's Century—for Better or Worse," with the subheadline, "Asia gets the attention, but the real economic revolution is the inevitable growth of an overlooked continent."
Egypt and Tunisia have Mediterranean seaports, and establishing a fixed maritime trade route is a crucial objective. Both are desirable tourist destinations with relatively stable governments. Africa is the next growth market, and Nigeria has shown that. Egypt and Tunisia will benefit through their proximity to Europe and legacy cultures.
6) Floral—2023 is the Year of the Amaryllis
Location: United States
Champion: National Garden Bureau
2023 is the Year of the Amaryllis, a flower that comes in over 600 varieties and is native to South and Central America and parts of Africa. Varieties go by colorful names, including Bella Donna, Naked Ladies, Dancing Queen, Red Lion, and Marilyn.
Throughout the year, bulbs for Amaryllis will be featured and on sale in gardening stores. These flowers can be grown indoors year-round or outside.
7) Food—2023 is the International Year of Millets
Location: Worldwide
Champion: United Nations
From the United Nations (edited for clarity):
"Millets are among the first plants to be domesticated and are considered "Nutri-cereals" due to their high nutritional content. They have served as a traditional staple for hundreds of millions of people in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia for 7000 years and are now cultivated worldwide. However, their cultivation is declining in many countries, and their potential to address climate change and food security is not fully realized. This is even though millets can grow on relatively poor soils and under adverse and arid conditions, with comparatively fewer inputs than other cereals.
The need to promote millets' diversity and nutritional and ecological benefits to consumers, producers, value chain actors, and decision-makers is timely and can improve food sector linkages.
As such, a proposal for an International Year of Millets (2023) was brought forward by the Government of India and endorsed by Members of FAO Governing Bodies and by the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly."
8) 2023 Herb of the Year, Ginger
Location: Worldwide
Champion: International Herb Association
Since 1991 the International Herb Association has chosen an herb or spice to represent that year. 2023 is the Year of Ginger.
Ginger is used in several ways but is best known as a spice and a natural antacid for stomach upset. Perhaps my favorite use is with fish. Ginger negates fishy flavor and smell. How? Slice it thin and tuck it into the fish meat before baking, grilling, or poaching. Make sure to include some in the marinade. I learned this trick when taking a Chinese cooking class in Saudi Arabia, and it works! It really works!
9) Herb—2023 is the International Year of Sage
Location: Worldwide
Champion: Fleuroselect Home Garden Association
Each year one flower and one vegetable are chosen for focus by the Fleuroselect Home Garden Association. 2023 is the International Year of Sage (Salvia officinalis). Sage is a perennial flowering herb with white, purple, pink, or blue blossoms. Its leaves are a dusty green, with salvia officinalis being the variety used in cooking. The healing powers of sage go back thousands of years, and legend suggests that those with sage in their gardens prosper in business.
10) Livestock/Career—2023 is the Year of the Stockman
Location: United States, Nebraska
Champion: University of Nebraska
The University of Nebraska's agriculture and ranching programs focus on the needs of men and women who raise cattle and other livestock in 2023 and has declared it the Year of the Stockmen.
Stockmen work with animals, caring for them, raising them, and seeing to their health and needs. The Nebraska Stockman's Tour, due to visit at least six locations over the year, will provide immersive learning opportunities and best practices in handling and caring for livestock at events open to the public. To determine when the tour will be in your locale, consult BeefWatch articles at https://go.unl.edu/podcast.
11) 2023 Pantone Color of the Year is Viva Magenta
Location: Worldwide
Champion: Pantone World Headquarters
Pantone declares the theme color for each year in December before the start of the year. For 2023, Viva Magenta Pantone #18-1750 is the year's color.
12) Plant—2023 is the Year of Salvia
Location: Worldwide
Champion: Fleuroselect Home Garden Association
Each year one flower and one vegetable are chosen for focus by the Fleuroselect Home Garden Association. 2023 is the International Year of Salvia (salvia nemerosa), an entire flowering plant category. Salvia is prized for its bright flowers and usually blooms in summer. Hearty and beautiful, salvia is a favorite with gardeners throughout the world.
13) Space—2023 is the Year of Open Science
Location: Worldwide
Champion: NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) joins the champion list this year with its declaration of 2023 as the Year of Open Science.
This year's focus is to promote the adoption of open science principles and best practices, accelerate discovery, and increase participation from historically underrepresented demographics in science.
14) Tourism—2023 is Leeds' Year of Culture
Location: United Kingdom
Champion: Leeds Culture Trust Limited
As we come out of the pandemic, thousands of cities worldwide are looking for ways to bring back tourism. Leeds in the United Kingdom (UK) beat them. The city of Leeds declared 2023 its Year of Culture, celebrating its unique culture with its residents and visitors worldwide. The municipality will feature events, displays, entertainment, food, crafts, and historical tellings with a motto: "Let. Culture. Loose."
The Year of Culture is a play on the fallout from Brexit. Leeds was competing for the European Capital of Culture in 2023, but Brexit nixed that, and UK cities were no longer eligible. Therefore, in true Brit fashion, the city pulled up its wellies, exited the queue, and created one of its own.
15) Tourism—2023 is The Year of the Trail
Location: United States, North Carolina
Champion: Great Trails State Coalition
North Carolina's Year of the Trail celebrates the state's expansive network of trails. Its purpose is to encourage people to get outdoors, enjoy nature, discover the state, and advocate for establishing community trails in each of its 100 counties. Planned events are for outdoor enthusiasts, curious travelers, and Carolinians. Consult the event's website for details. This year, 2023, marks 50 years since the passage of the North Carolina Trails System Act.
16) 2023, The Year of Self-love and Innovation
Location: Worldwide
Champion: Based on Numerology
Numerology places 2023 as the year of self-love and innovation. It is a year to put your well-being first, change habits, learn, and spend time exploring yourself and what you want.
Innovation is numerology's second theme, and it is an invitation for businesses, artists, scientists, and leaders to think differently, experiment, and consider options, the business equivalent to "self-love."
Overall, the underlying message of 2023 is to take care of yourself. Lay your excuses aside because the universe demands it.
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This was a long one. The next issue, January Jewels, will come out on December 29. Happy Hanukkah, Yalda, Festivus, Humanlight, Merry Christmas, Blessed Kwanzaa, and anything else you happen to be celebrating!