UN International Day of Families 2021
Saturday, 2 pm 15th May
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In their annual celebration of UN International Day of Families, Universal Peace Federation UK hosted a panel on parenting and child development.
Dr. Carole Ulanowsky (speech video Link) spoke of sustaining the family through challenging times. She has a PhD intergenerational study of Motherhood and is a coordinator for the science and research group, What About the Children, she shares with us some insights from the vast quantity of research she has access to. “The nature/nurture debate has been settled. It’s both”, Dr Ulanowsky explained how children are predisposed to react to certain developmental environments and stress situations and how these early stimuli leave lasting epigenetic changes in the child. “Loving and stable relationships with familiar carers, especially in the first 30 months, is the single most important factor for a strong foundation.” Dr Ulanowsky then spoke on the importance of the positive effect that strong families have on society and how critical it is for parents to understand how critical their role is in the world.
Frederick Clarke (Video Link) spoke next of his work with his charity Mighty Men of Valour and why fathers matter. Launching several campaigns designed to educate and empower men to take strong, responsible roles in the family, the charity aims to address the often-overlooked roles that fathers can play. Frederick Clarke sees that men play a crucial role in tacking issues like domestic violence, pornography absenteeism and education. Challenging the negative stereotypes of men in the UK, “we notice that, if men care about their children, their partners and their community, it can change their behaviour”. Mighty Men of Valour teaches about what it means, and how to properly care about people in roles that men can fill.
Dr. Nicola Bailey (Video Link) is a specialist in parenting and family support. She started with a poll of the audience about the experiences and challenges that parents might have. She addressed the transition into parenthood and the importance and urgent need to support new parents. Dr. Bailey notes that one of the major things that new mothers experience is the sudden restriction of choice and freedoms. While we appreciate the changes that one goes through during adolescence, we often look over the even more drastic changes that a mother will experience. Dr Bailey notes that the tendency is to ask about the baby when meeting an expecting mother, but she asks us ask about the parents too, so they feel seen and heard. “Only when they love and value themselves, they will be ready to be a positive parent.”
Teuta Avdyli, (Video Link) a bestselling author of the books, “Born to Stand Out, Not to Fit In”, and “Family Legacy of Love”. From her experience of bringing up two children, Teuta advocated for a strong, confident, and resilient approach with a clear, loving structure, traditional notion, and high parental expectation. Taking from several notable sources, the extreme impact that a mother has on their children was shown as well as the strong drive that mothers experience to love their child. Teuta shared with the audience practical and simple steps for raising children, shared the impact they have on the child and shared the impact they can have on the parent. “let us hold hands together and become one. Let us be alert, encourage, and help our children to flourish and reach their full potential to become the future of tomorrow.” Teuta ended by asking the audience, 'What would you like your children to remember you by?'
After question and answers, Dr Oliver Davies (Video Link) closed the session by highlighting the importance of a family centred society where the ideal of healthy, happy families is a priority for all. He warned against the normalisation of incomplete families and, although some children grow up without two parents and some parents must raise children unsupported, this should not be considered acceptable for the sake of inclusivity. Dr. Davies thanked the speakers for their amazing contributions to, not just parents, but to society. “building society, teaching people about relationships, what it means to be human”.
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The Universal Peace Federation's co-founders, Father and Mother Moon, promote the family as a sacred institution where people first learn what it means to love. Families provide children and parents the experience of living for the sake of others, loving different types of character and the art of compromise and negotiation.
It is natural for such love within the family to be extended to wider relatives, which in turn extend to the community, society, and nations.
At the celebration we will be joined by four guest speakers and powerhouses of the family, who will give us their insight into the essential role parents play in society, raising children and early child development.
Dr Carole Ulanowsky,
Awarded a Ph.D. for her intergenerational study of Motherhood, she is a mother of four and grandmother of six, an educator and researcher. She explores early life connections between mother and child and the link between attachment, early communication, and emotional wellbeing. New research shows a critical connection between a child’s genetic makeup and their environment of care. She will speak about the importance of the family – and early child development.
Frederick Clarke,
Frederick Clarke has a Business Law degree and PGCE and is an experienced lecturer, with over 14 years’ experience in further education. In 2002 he launched Mighty Men of Valour (MMOV) in Croydon, whose aim is to change the lives of boys, young men and fathers so that they in turn make a significant and beneficial difference to the lives of their children, their spouse and their community. He will be speaking about “Why Fathers Matter”
Dr Nicola Bailey,
A specialist in parenting and family support. She will be addressing the transition into parenthood beginning with a quiz on what we think we know about becoming a parent. Her talk will focus on the transition into parenthood, the challenges this presents and how it can best managed. She will explain why tracing the threads of our own experiences will put us in a better place to understanding and support others.
Teuta Avdyli,
A wife, mother of two beautiful children and a bestselling author of the books, “Born to Stand Out, Not to Fit In”, and “Family Legacy of Love”. Teuta is an advocate of bringing up strong, confident, and resilient children with a clear, loving structure, traditional notion, and high parental expectation. The approach she will share is to educate, inspire and support families, while empowering women to expand their vision to live the life, legacy and impact they dream to have. Teuta will have an interactive section in her presentation for those who want to ask a question or make a maximum 60 seconds comment. Teuta will ask the audience, 'What would you like your children to remember you by?'