From 14 April to 20 October 2024, Up2Us took place at the Unidad community centre on the outskirts of Bogotá: an educational course on affectivity and sexuality aimed at families and their children aged 4-8.
A programme divided into eight sessions involving the whole family, plus four dedicated exclusively to parents, where facilitators, with the help of experts, enabled participating families to share a profound experience through integration activities. Up2Us provided a valuable space that made parents more aware of their role in the education and growth of their children. Here, the theoretical and educational material prepared by the scientific committee was adapted to the local culture and customs, because the prerogative of the Up2Me project - in all its forms for different age groups - is always to start from the life experiences of those involved, opening up spaces for reflection through input and questions raised by empirical experience, within workshops and interactive dynamics.
In recent months, the Unidad social centre in Bogota has explored the theme of emotions – joy, anger, fear, disgust, wonder, sadness – and the discovery of the body and the female and male reproductive systems.
The numerous comments received from participants highlight the importance of addressing these issues within the context of family relationships, with the help of competent professionals and through open and peaceful dialogue with other families. This makes it easier to gain a new understanding of the needs, languages and different points of view of all the individuals who make up the family unit. Greater awareness and management of emotions within adult-child relationships increases family cohesion and self-confidence in facing the challenges posed by society together, as well as generating a new understanding and harmony within the parental couple.
From Colombia, we now head further south to Argentina. Here too, an Up2Us programme was presented and then trialled in schools during the 2023/24 academic year at the Chiara Lubich school. The project involved families in after-school activities with the help of a group of girl scouts, bringing great joy to everyone.
In other words, Up2Us continues to inspire hope, reawakening adults' interest and concern for the harmonious and integrated growth of children. We know that a world more suited to children is a more sustainable and welcoming world for everyone. This is why Up2Us continues to nurture and renew the bond of trust between adults and children, which is necessary for societies everywhere to face the challenges of the future together.
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