Family Enrichment in the World

Regional Counsil of Veneto

Ignacio Socías, director of IFFD communication and international relations, traveled to Treviso from March 20-21, at the invitation of the regional government of Veneto. There, he attended the council of elected politicans to speak and answer questions relating to 2014 as the Year of the Family.

He also gave a lecture to the plenary of the Assembly of ENSA (European Network of Social Authorities), which resulted in a magnificent opportunity to meet, exchange views, and build relationships with many representatives of European local authorities.

A series of position papers on current affairs an topics that have to do with family enrichment.

Motivation and American Grandparents’ Spending Habits

 My dad lives in 21st century

How can fathers improve their paternity

Vídeos (Canal YouTube).

Family Enrichment in the world

On Saturday, March 3 the inaugural Chinese-language Family Enrichment course was launched. Although courses had previously been held in Hong Kong and Macau, they had never been taught in the native language, which today is spoken by more than one billion people.

China course participants

The First Steps course took place in Shenzhen, a city in southern China. The moderator of the course, Joachim Chu, commented that the thirty-five attendees were very engaged. The program alternated between relaxed moments and those of deeper reflection, in which participants were moved by others’ stories

Why Not in All of the Eastern Caribbean?

Trinidad and Tobago participants

Brian Lewis from Trinidad and Tobago recently reported that state’s plan for Family Enrichment in the Eastern Caribbean. The objective is to offer both the basic course and First Steps during the nine months of the school year. Lewis and his colleagues are focusing on methods of offering the courses both effectively and to the largest possible geographical area. Their hope is that the courses offered in Barbados will ignite interest in other nearby islands. The island of Saint Lucia has already voiced interest and would work with its neighbor Trinidad as its base of operations. During 2011, twenty-one couples attended a course that ran from January through June and September through December.

New Addition to the International Team of IFFD

Cristina Napolitano, Javier Romero and Michael Sangervasi

After his participation in The Family Watch’s international training seminar in June 2011 and his stay in Madrid in September to work on the IFFD paper “Are Children a Public Good?” Javier Romero moved to New York City to collaborate on the Spain Permanent Mission to the United Nations. Afterward, he helped the Department of IFFD International Action in New York for three months. Now he has been fully incorporated into the team.

In the Spain Permanent Mission in the United Nations he worked for the Fifth Committee, a role exclusively devoted to administrative and budgetary matters of the United Nations. As he says, it is a “completely different task than one plays in an NGO. . . . I think that working with an NGO can be a great overview, although the ability to influence there is perhaps less than it is with the mission of a country.”

His goal in his work with IFFD has been to “let the delegates from different countries know what IFFD does, in order that that knowledge reaches their respective governments.” The general consultative status enjoyed by IFFD–only about 170 of the 3,000 NGOs bear this—”requires hard work and seriousness.” It allows an organization to be visible, exchange views, build relationships, and even submit oral statements, written with the aim of influencing specific topics. “It is a great responsibility.”

Javier was one of the youngest people to read one of these statements when he did so at the Commission for Social Development last February. “The experience has been very rewarding and, at the same time a challenge. . . . It is not easy to face a declaration like this one in front of so many representatives, and to send a message in a clear manner in only three minutes.”

Los Angeles

Los Angeles welcomes the Family Enrichment Leadership Training (FELT) Conference May 4-6, 2012. It’s a wonderful opportunity not only to learn about diverse cultures and backgrounds, but to learn from others’ experiences, actions, and initiatives.
One of these stories involves more than 20 years devoted to Family Enrichment courses both in San Francisco, California and St. Louis, Missouri, with the help of experts in the implementation of the program in other countries. Another significant event to be discussed is the relaunch of the Family Enrichment in Los Angeles six years ago, through various courses in southern California as well as the 2009 FELT conference.
The objectives of this year’s FELT conference are learning good practices from other leaders; creating a network of contacts at local, national, and international levels; and enjoying and celebrating the universal importance of building a large family.

A series of position papers on current affairs an topics that have to do with family enrichment.

The behaviors of the american family in the five major institutions of society

Vídeos (Canal YouTube).

Family Enrichment in the World

Course participants

Despite the great distance between Ecuador and Venezuela, Enrique and Mireya Pérez volunteered to make the journey to lead a training program for moderators and to promote Family Enrichment.  This is not the only instance of remarkable dedication in growing Family Enrichment. Similarly, Colombians Alejandro and Maria Reyes traveled to Panama to masterfully teach a training course on October 8. Forty-two potential moderators and team leaders participated in a program of great learning, motivation, and enthusiastic commitment to continuing the task of forming and educating others.  Still more programs organized during October and November of last year in Central America met with similar success: in Nicaragua with Jaime Funes and his wife Margarita; in Costa Rica with the help of Guatemalans Juan and Oni Godoy; and in Guatemala, with the Spanish moderator José Miguel Cubillo.

Eastern Europe: Saint Petersburg

Russian participants

The enthusiasm is not limited to the Americas. A few weeks ago we received an email from Olgierd and Iwona Chrobak, moderators from Poland, sharing a short summary of their stay in St. Petersburg on October 22. Conducted in Russian, their fruitful session was attended by five couples and lasted from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. In a climate of confidence, many shared their testimonies and experiences. Similar news from other countries brings us joy and increases our desire for more attendees. These anecdotes show that this program is not only one in which couples learn, but also one in which people work together, expose each other to new ideas, respect those of others, and enjoy their time in good company.

Asia and Africa

During the first half of October, Italian moderators Carlo and Simona di Marco travelled to India to teach a course for moderators in New Delhi and an introductory training session in Bombay. This is the couple’s second trip to India. They have taught several sessions of the “Marital Love” course here as well. Santiago and Amparo Garcia of Spain traveled to South Africa for five days last December. In Johannesburg, the country’s largest city, they offered a training course for moderators. Those in attendance came from the same city, Pretoria, and Gaborone (Botswana).

South African participants

Learning how to be better parents: testimony

Aníbal Cuevas works as a member of the Iberia passenger cabin crew and has a great passion for the family. Cuevas is also a Spanish moderator of Family Enrichment, who has developed numerous initiatives in America. His testimony has been published in Iberiavión, Iberia’s corporate magazine with a circulation of more than 24,000 copies. As he tells us, when their first daughter was born, he became aware that “no one is born knowing parenting.” Cuevas became interested in Family Enrichment, “because the model of society in which we live has influenced the family.” ”Children increasingly spend more time alone because their parents are working most of the day. There is barely time for raising children, and methods for solving family problems are not pertinent because parents don’t know their children.” With four children and a granddaughter, Cuevas tells parents, “most importantly, get to know your child, to help you encourage his positive traits and not constantly focus on the negative.”

Javier Romero, Ignacio Socías and Cristina Napolitano

During the Economic and Social Commission, which take place in United Nations, two delegates of IFFD had the opportunity to speak to delegations of member states on behalf of the Federation and as a result of its general consultative status. In addition, the Director of International Relations, Ignacio Socías, represented IFFD in a presentation on Friday, February 3rd. The event was jointly organized by the Doha International Institute for Family Studies and Development and the NGO Committee on the Family—New York. It was attended by about 100 members of the delegations of the member states, professors from several universities in New York, officials of United Nations, and executives of NGOs working in the UN.

IFFD Papers

A series of position papers on current affairs an topics that have to do with family enrichment.

Vídeos (Canal YouTube).

Visit of the UN Focal Point on the Family

Interview to Renata Kaczmarska during her trip to Spain.

The UN Focal Point on the Family has visited Madrid from the 22nd to the 25th October, invited by IFFD and The Family Watch, as part of the preparations for the observance of the 20th Anniversary of the International Year of the Family.

Besides speaking about the preparations for that Anniversary, she also had an event with civil society actors and hold meetings with different representatives of Spanish and European politicians and representatives of non-governmental organizations.

As a result, she has also been able to get to know the work of IFFD worldwide and to spread the message of what are the goals of UN with this occasion and how the different social actors can contribute to it.The central event took place in Auditorio Garrigues, Madrid, and was attended by more than one hundred political authorities from several regions, Spanish and European NGOs and Foundations representatives, as well as members of IFFD and The Family Watch.

Talking about the goals for this Anniversary, Kaczmarska said that “Parenting courses are very useful to keep families strong. In family poverty and social exclusion, because when families are kept together the instances of poverty are much lower. Regarding work-family balance, because they can also help to set priorities within families. And about intergenerational dialogue, I know that you have components that emphasize the role of older persons.”

The Director of International Relations has been a keynote speaker of the World Family Summit in Abu Dhabi. He spoke on the 6th December about youth employment and the future of families in the world, and ministers in charge of family issues from 20 countries as well as delegations from other countries and institutions attended his speech.

IFFD Papers

A series of position papers on current affairs an topics that have to do with family enrichment.

Vídeos (Canal YouTube).

A promotional video

FERT Association in Barcelona is using this audiovisual to promote their activities, combining Spanish and Catalan languages.

Kazakhstan

A Seminar about “Family culture” took place on 4th June 2011, in a kindergarten in Almaty. It was moderated by Kasia and Waldek Dobrzynski, who came from Poland for this occasion. With about 50 participants, presentations had to deal with “Happy Marriage” and “Successfull Parents”. After a very participative discussion, the first case of the “Marital Love” course was developed.

At the end, attendants mentioned that they considered very appropriate to organize this seminar in a country where the family is going under difficult times and encouraged the organizers to keep developing family enrichment activities.

Spain

On the 22nd June, PREF organized a presentation event in Cartagena, under the presidency of the Chancellor of the Universidad Politécnica. Carmen Alfonso represented IFFD and explained the path followed in international bodies, in front of a very large attendance.

After her intervention, Rafael Navarro-Valls, professor at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and President of the Patronage in The Family Watch, delivered a speech about “The Return of the Family”.

Nigeria

During past June, different family enrichment courses have been developed in Lagos. After the Pre-adolescents sessions organized by Whitesands School Lagos for 25 couples, the second shift ot them have already started. Another course has also been held in Lagoon Secondary School for some 112 couples.

The Director of International Relations and the delegate of IFFD in Geneva, Suzy Beysard.

On 25th July 2011, the Economic and Social Council decided to approve the recommendation for reclassification of consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, from Special to General, as it had been previously requested by the International Federation for Family Development.

This reclassification had been proposed by the NGOs Committee of that Council last February, so that this new decision confirms a decisive step forward for IFFD, that thus becomes part of the 4% of entities from Civil Society that work with United Nations in a more outstanding way.

IFFD Papers

A series of opinion articles about current affairs related to family enrichment has been released.

This first issue deals with the recent riots in England and the questions they have posed for many experts. Why did they happen? Who are to blame for them and why? How could they be prevented in the future?

Videos (YouTube Channel).

Ecuador

Javier Vidal-Quadras, Secretary General of IFFD, visited Ecuador with his wife Loles from the 8th to the 11th June, 2011. On Thursday 9th, more than 600 people attended a conference on ‘From Romance to Love – a Human Path’, delivered by Javier Vidal-Quadras in the Auditorium of Colegio Los Pinos. During the same trip, they also visited Perú, where Javier dictated a conference with the same subject, in the Colegio Alpamayo, located in Lima.

Back in Ecuador, Javier had the chance to witness some agreements on new Family Enrichment Courses with schools and companies of Quito and Guayaquil were signed during those days. Also some newspapers take advantage of his trip to interview him about matrimonial love and education issues, such as El Comercio, El Universo, El Telégrafo and ‘Vives’ magazine.

Czech Republic and Slovakia

Organized by ‘Združenie pre rozvoj Rodino’, a pilot course for 60 people has been held in Marianka, a town near Bratislava. Another regular course will follow with participants from those two countries and Hungary. The main speaker was Janusz Wardak, who also dictated a conference in the Polish Institute of Bratislave to many who are interested in Family Enrichment activities.

Mexico

As every year, the Annual Convention of Lar was celebrated from the 20th to the 22nd of May, with some 180 people from 15 different States. It took place in Monterrey, one of the most booming and busy cities in Mexico, with a Family Enrichment Center that has grown with great success, and has also helped to start activities in other near cities like Torreón and soon Saltillo.

Lithuania

The Graduation Event for ‘Šeimu Universitetas’ was held on the 24th of May. The Prime Minister, who attended the meeting, encouraged the heads of the organization to keep expanding and consolidating their activities. 300 hundred families have participated in the First Steps and First Letters courses developed during this first year.

 The representatives for IFFD and TFW in the Meeting: Imre de Habsbourg-Lorraine, Ignacio Socías and Cristina Napolitano. 

Together with other 24 representatives of the achademic world and civil society, and by invitation of the United Nations Programme on the Family, IFFD and TFW have participated in the recent Expert Group Meeting that has been held in New York City for the first time, from the 1st to the 3rd June, on Assessing family policies.

 The Expert Group, during a break.

The different sessions, the need for evidence-based policies has been stressed, as opposed to assumptions and ideologies being the root for them.  Conclusions will be send the General Assembly of U. N. through the Secretary General, convened as part of preparations for the twentieth anniversary of the International Year of the Family, 2014.

 The Institute of Education at the University of London, see of the Conference. 

IFFD has also being part of the Parenting & Child Wellbeing Conference organized by the Institute of Education at the University of London to share information about the latest research evidence on this issue and discuss implications for policy.

Vídeos (Canal YouTube).

The meeting took place in the European Commission headquarters.

To celebrate the 3rd European Day on Solidarity between Generations, the European Commission held a conference with the purpose of prepairing the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations —which will be celebrated in 2012— and to establish a High Level Group to study the ways to reinforce the viability of public health systems and to increase participation of elderly citizens in the labor market.

The Group includes EU Member States, regions, industrial sector and health experts, as well as civil society. IFFD was represented by the Director General of The Family Watch.

Neelie Kroes is Vice-President and Commissioner for Digital Agenda.

It should be noted that senior citizens over 65 will double in the next 20 years, according to European Commission forecasts, while the Gross Domestic Product addresed to population ageing will only grow aobut 2,7%, from 8,3% to 11%.
Speakers of the meeting included the Vice-President and Commissioner for Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes, and the Commissioner for Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion Lászlo Andor. Both mentioned the growth of the dependency rate and the need to turn the threat of population ageing into the opportunity of providing the elderly participation in social progress, with a new concept for retirement.
On behalf of the EU Presidency, Hungarian Minister for National Resources Miklós Rethély advocated for a renovated assesment of senior citizens, their dignity and their experience.
Demo Christian Lambert van Nistelrooij from Netherlands, vicepresident of the Intergroup on this topic, spoke as representative of the European Parliament. In his speech, he said the the true problem is not the number of elder people, but the low birth rates, and the this European Year needs to be granted a specific budget.

Miklós Rethély is the Hungarian Minister for National Resources.

The programme also included the launch of the new website of the European Year and with other interventions of representatives of governments and the civil society about several issues included in the documentation, such as not limiting actions to the delay of retirement age, but also to explore ways to improve social co-operation, mainly in dependent care, and the need of creating new designs for social policies that could both guide and respect independence and specific features of each Member State. The Commission will now discuss with the Parliament and the European Council, to set up the final contents of the European Year by the end of June.

Ecuador

The Corporation ‘Ingenio San Carlos y Papelera Nacional’ is well aware that a worker with a stable family and well-being will be more efficient and effective in his job and have entrusted to IMF Ecuador to give Matrimonial Love courses to them. Five sessions have been developed using the Case Method. One of the couples who attended them said that “we have identified ourselves with each one of these stories, in one way or another; we have found solutions that we hadn’t thought of before. This is very important, because it solves our problems and so brings happiness to our home and a true prize for our children”.

Netherlands

A previous session for a First Steps course was held in Netherlands on the 16 April, and there will be another one for those who couldn’t attend on 21 May. The course will officially start on 18 June, with more than a dozen couples, under the direction of Karel Phlips, who coordinates courses in that country while the local staff acquire the necessary competences.

Spain

Different Family Enrichment centers will again organize this year the programme ‘Un verano diferente’ (a different summer). It consists of family vacations with leasure activities for all ages and Family Enrichment sessions. Up to now, six issues have been announces: FERT in the Pyrenees, INEFA in Sierra Nevada, Aula Familiar also in the Pyrenees and Sierra Nevada, PREF in the Pyrenees and Valdomar in Manzaneda (Galicia).

 Videos(YouTube Channel).

Philippines

On 6th February, a congress held at the University of Makati, with about 600 participants, as shown in the picture above.
Later, they celebrated the 5th Anniversary of ‘Beyond I Do’, a program of Educhild for married couples to promote dialogue between spouses about their matrimonial life. Within this celebration, a weekend seminar was also organized to help couples to deepen in their marital life.

Argentina

The ‘star course’ of Familias Formando Familias Association is Matrimonial Love. Thanks to it, hundreds of couples have dealt with the strengthening of their conjugal relationship and have made their family life and children education better.
Besides Buenos Aires, San Isidro, Pilar, San Juan, Santa Fe, Rosario, Córdoba, San Luis, Tucumán, Mendoza and Bella Vista, some other new cities will hold these courses in 2011, once the training program for new local moderators is completed.
The photo is of one of the sessions in San Luis.

Slovakia

The first Family Enrichment Course started last September, with a First Steps program held in Bratislava. Launching of activities in this country has been supported by moderators from Poland and the Czech Republic. 20 couples have attended this First Steps course, and many of them are getting trained to moderate the Matrimonial Love course, together with those who came from the Czech Republic.

Ivory Coast

Even in the present difficult situation that helps us to keep this country especially in mind, participants in the last International Congress of the Family have restart Family Enrichment activities. A First Steps course started on 5th February and Famille et Education is planning to start a new one in schools and also a Matrimonial Love program.

Costa Rica

ASPOF is working in the preparation of different Matrimonial Love courses in San José-Moravia, Tres Ríos and the provinces of Alajuela y Heredia, while some of the attendants to the last one have asked for a second part of it.

The President of the Hungarian Republic during his speech.

Invited by the Hungarian Presidency of the European Union, representatives of IFFD have attended the expert conference in Budapest on “Reconciliation of Work and Family Life – Its effect on Demographic Processes,” an event that opened a thematic week about “Europe for Families, Families for Europe.”

The Hungarian President Pál Schmitt opened the conference by saying that Hungarians are decreasing in number and so are European nations, and that the whole of Europe is struggling with an aging population, the crises of families, and a decline in birth rate.

Ignacio Socías and Radoslaw Kolatek were the delegates of IFFD for this meeting.

Miklós Soltész, Minister of State for Social, Family, and Youth Affairs was another keynote speaker, and he claimed that the future of Europe depends on the family and that that troubles start with families falling apart.

IFFD made a statement about issues we need more research on by experts, prepared by The Family Watch.

IFFD’s Statement.

Videos(YouTube Channel).

Antonio Monserrat, former Secretary General of IFFD, and Ignacio Socías, Director General of The Family Watch, have been invited by the United Nations Programme on the Family and the United Nations Programme on Youth, in the Division for Social Policy and Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs to participate in the United Nations Expert Group Meeting on “Dialogue and Mutual Understanding across Generations”. The event is being held in cooperation with Doha International Institute for Family Studies and Development in Doha, Qatar in March, 8th-9th 2011.
The Expert Group is convened in the observance of the celebration of the International Year of Youth 2010-2011 and as part of the preparations for the Twentieth Anniversary of the International Year of the Family 2014.
The recent Report of the Secretary-General of UN on the ‘Follow-up to the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family and beyond’ states that “the importance of the family in social development deserves to be placed high on the agenda of the Commission for Social Development, especially as it relates to the achievement of the three pillars of the Copenhagen Conference: reduction of poverty, full employment and decent work and social integration”. Looking ahead to the work that should be done in the next years, it also proposes “to that end the following major themes […] to guide the preparations for the observance of the twentieth anniversary:
- Confronting family poverty and social exclusion;
- Ensuring work-family balance;
- Advancing social integration and inter-generational solidarity within families and the communities” .

Antonio Monserrat, High Court Judge and Member of The Spanish General Council for the Judiciary, was formerly the first Secretary General of IFFD.

In his speech, Mr. Monserrat will deal with “Existing Frameworks for Dialogue and Mutual Understanding across Generations”, and will concentrate on three of the proposed questions: role of the family in promoting dialogue and understanding impact of parenting on youth development and role of educational institutions in promoting dialogue and mutual understanding, with special incidence on the relationships among parents and adolescents.
Mr. Socias will deliver his intervention around the topic “Trends that Affect Parents and Children in Our Present World”, and will speak about some of the changes that have affected relationships between parents and children remarkably during last decades – a prolonged financial dependence of adult children on their parents, a dramatic rise in the rate of divorce and remarriage and a steady increase in women’s labor force participation and control over assets and wealth.
The main objective of the Meeting is to provide member States with expert opinion and concrete policy recommendations on issues related to youth.
Experts dealing with various aspects of social development are invited to participate in their personal capacities from a broad geographical distribution. To promote the participation of young people, the meeting will also include youth representatives.

Daniel Arasa, author of the book.

‘Rafael Pich, pasión por la familia. La Orientación Familiar, un sueño hecho realidad’ (Rafael Pich and His Passion for the Family: Family Development, a Dream Come True) is a book written by journalist Daniel Arasa that recounts the great efforts of Rafael Pich-Aguilera in the field of family enrichment. His work was recognized by the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya in 2008, when he was awarded an honorary degree.

Rafael Pich-Aguilera was awarded an honorary degree by the UIC.

The second of two children and the father of sixteen children, Pich-Aguilera dedicated his professional career to promoting family values and teaching the FERT’s pioneering family enrichment courses. He would become after one of the promoters of IFFD.
All this is explained in the book recently published by journalist Daniel Arasa, president of the Group of Catalan Family Organizations.
The book was presented at the Garbí bookshop in Barcelona by Javier Vidal-Quadras, Secretary General of the IFFD.

 Vídeos (YouTube Channel).

New York, 3rd February 2011.

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations in the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations has decided, during its annual meeting of 2011 held during these days, to unanimously approve the application for reclassification of the consultative status from special to general by the International Federation for Family Development, so that only the final decision by the Council is left to make the new status official. It is a truly significant step forward in the increasing collaboration between the Federation and UN.
Special consultative status, which IFFD had been granted in 1999, meant the possibility of taking part in an active way and contributing to the work of United Nations the civil society perspective in topics related to family. As the former Secretary General said, “We live in an era in which international affairs are no longer dominated by States as the sole actors. The participants include non-governmental organizations”.
However, United Nations reserves for a minority of those NGOs -just below 5% of them at present- a different classification that allows them to participate in that task in a more complete way, provided they fulfil three requirements that makes them deserve it – to be spread worldwide (IFFD currently operates in 58 countries on the five continents), to show enough financial and professional stability (we have been working for more than 30 years) and, above all, to deal through its activities with all topics of the Economic and Social Council agenda (in our Family Enrichment courses family takes shape as the true “School of Human Rights”, as our last International Family Congress in Valencia has expressed).
As established in Resolution 1996/31 of ECOSOC, which regulates consultative relationships, this step means that an Organization can “have substantive and sustained contributions to make to the achievement of the objectives of the United Nations” and is “closely involved with the economic and social life of the peoples of the areas they represent” and “whose membership, which should be considerable, is broadly representative of major segments of society in a large number of countries in different regions of the World”. Also, this resolution grants to those organizations several specific attributions: “propose to the Council Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations that the Committee request the Secretary-General to place items of special interest to the organizations in the provisional agenda of the Council”; they are also “entitled to present orally to the Council, as appropriate, an introductory statement of an expository nature” and, “in the course of the discussion of the item before the Council, an additional statement for purposes of clarification.”

Cristina Napolitano (Delegate in UN), Jim Morgan (Chairman), Marina Robben (President) and Karel Philps (Vicepresident for Europe).

Several members of IFFD’s board that were in New York during these days have confirmed their will to “contribute even more to the work of United Nations, with their know-how and experience, the voice of so many thousands of families from all over the world, in a constructive way that makes easier the building of a more human and fair society, avoiding divisions and conflicts.” For that, they have recalled the Final Declaration of the Congress in Valencia, and especially its proposal regarding “promote the integration of a family perspective into policy-making at the national, regional and international levels” and “support family research and diagnostic studies.”

Activities in Family Enrichment Programs started in the 1960s with aid programmes for parents based on the case method and applying participative methodology.
After more than 30 years of experience in those courses, IFFD was set up in Orlando (Florida, USA), during the 14th International Family Congress (January 1998).
We currently operate in 58 countries on the five continents:

 Newsletter about IFFD (English Version)

Videos(YouTube Channel).