From 06 to 08 September, the Family Convention took place under the motto “We make the society!” in FEZ Berlin. It was organised by Lebenshilfe, AGF, Deutsches Down-Syndrom InfoCenter, Interessengemeinschaft Fragiles-X and FASD Deutschland.
The Convention ended on Sunday, 8 September, with clear demands on the politicians. In a Manifesto of the families, the alltogether 500 small and larger guests expressed their most urgent wishes: the expansion of child care, family supporting services and full day schools, realised together with the aim of inclusion, was on top of their agenda. But families do not only opt for a bigger supply of care services – they also want it in a much better quality. As well, the question of reconciling work and family life is still important to them. To ease this burden, families wish to have better opportunities to decide about the amount and distribution of their working hours as well as about their working place.
The political Manifesto was completed by a summary of objects and symbols from the families’ day to day life. They are supposed to show that the wishes of the families are a direct result from their experienced daily problems and that, finally, the familiy policy has to come down to day to day life, too.
For the families, the Convention offered a lot of opportunities for information, exchange and, of course, for playing and fun. The organisers had provided varying and inclusive care options for children with and without handicaps, for the grown-ups they created a diverse agenda with keynotes, workshops and projects. As a result of the Family Convention remains: despite all varieties and differences, the families have a lot in common and many ideas, how the lifes of families in Germany could be made easier.
Related Links
- Manifesto of the Family Convention (German only)