News and Announcements

The International Day of Families 2012:
"Ensuring Work Family Balance"

Each year the International Day of Families is celebrated on 15th of May. The International Day provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase the knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes affecting families.

The theme for 2012 has been chosen is:
"Ensuring Work Family Balance"

Several socio-economic and demographic trends lead to significant changes in family and work life. Due to several developments, i.e., new life styles and job requirements, the household size has decreased in the last decade of years while the geographical distance between family members increased.

Continue reading at http://news.cafcs.org/download/PR-IDF-2012.pdf

The Images and Objects Toolkit is for facilitators and teachers interested in Education for Sustainable Development.

It provides the context for the development of the toolkit which includes:

• the background to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
• an overview of suitable Education for Sustainable Development methodologies.

More information at
http://news.cafcs.org/download/CCN_ESD_Images_&_Objects_Toolkit.pdf

The National Cooperative Extension System has a web site, www.extension.org, that provides news and information as well as online courses and other educational materials and tools. The Financial Security for All eXtension team is conducting an online survey to help design timely and relevant personal finance programs to meet the public's needs.  The goal of the survey is to gather information on important topics around personal finance.

More information about the group and collaboration efforts is available at: http://www.extension.org/pages/12903/financial-security-for-all-community-page. 

Please complete the survey and encourage your staff and clientele to complete the survey.  The survey link is: 

http://bit.ly/qG0IG5

The survey will close on April 30, 2012. 

A double issue, Nos. 79&80, of the Quarterly Bulletin, 'Families International', published by the Vienna NGO Committee on the Family, is available online for downloading at: www.viennafamilycommittee.org.

This double issue focuses on preparations for the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family.

23 Jan, 2012, Sustainability Frontiers Green Teacher Webinar, Deep Climate Change Education: Learning and Teaching for Personal and Social Transformation

On Thursday 8 March 2012, 7:30pm to 8:30pm Eastern Standard Time Canada, Fumiyo Kagawa and David Selby will present a Webinar in the much-heralded Winter 2011-2012 Green Teacher Webinar Series.

Building on their Fall 2011 article in Green Teacher, Fumiyo Kagawa and David Selby will critique mainstream manifestations of climate change education as a shallow and insufficient response to the global and human condition.   They will offer an elaboration of a 'deep climate change education' that examines values issues, explores the dynamics of climate change avoidance and denial, investigates the complicity of economic growth in fomenting climate change while cultivating intimacy with nature, an ethic of denizenship, and commitment to global climate justice.  The links between climate change education, sustainability education and disaster risk reduction education will be explored, the whole being exemplified through practical activities.  The event is for both both formal and non-formal youth educators.

For details, go to:  http://www.greenteachercom/webinars.html

To register for the event (registration free or with donation), go to: http://greenteacherwebinarselbykagawa.eventbrite.ca/?ebtv=C

On May 26-27, 2011, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) held a conference on financial literacy in Toronto, Canada. The conference drew some 400 experts and practitioners from around the world.

The conference participants came together and discussed:

• national financial literacy strategies and surveys on financial literacy
• steps to address financial literacy gaps in credit and debt management, retirement planning and technological innovation
• evaluation of financial education programs
• the use of social marketing and communications in financial literacy programs
• capacity building and train-the-trainer programs
• financial education in the school system
• gender and financial education
• financial literacy and behavioural economics.

We invite you to view the Conference’s report
prepared by FCAC and entitled
The Future of Financial Education

For more information

Visit: www.fcac-acfc.gc.ca/fcac-oecdconference

The latest issue of the Newsletter on Measuring the Progress of Societies is now available.

Included in this issue:

• New Zealand Government Treasury Framework for Improving Living Standards;
• Why Measuring Social Institutions is Important for Assessing Progress on Gender Equality;
• How are Canadians Really Doing? The Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW) Offers a Comprehensive Answer;
• How’s Life? Measuring Well-Being;
• OECD Launches Report on Social Cohesion - What Next?; and
• Spending on Family Policies, and What Works for Child Well-Being.

Visit Wikiprogress and learn and share knowledge on progress measurement initiatives worldwide, including contributions from key researchers; consult the extensive ongoing media review; see details on progress-related events; and view over 120 progress-related data sets.

Movement

Transformative Consumer Research is a movement within the Association for Consumer Research that seeks to encourage, support, and publicize research that benefits consumer welfare and quality of life for all beings affected by consumption across the world. The ACR website includes information about symposia, research funds, publications, and other resources and opportunities for scholars wishing to be involved in Transformative Consumer Research via the association. Click here to learn and to participate more.

Book

Transformative Consumer Research (For Personal and Collective Well-Being)

http://www.consumerpsychologyarena.com/transformative-consumer-research-for-personal-and-collective-wellbeing-9781848728523

From: Carol Kellett, Executive Director, APLU Board on Human Sciences

With pride, we are pleased to invite you to participate in the March 2012 Board on Human Sciences Conference and Youth Obesity Prevention Summit. BoHS members have worked diligently to plan one of the most exciting and relevant programs in many years. Outstanding speakers will inform and inspire members and their guests. We begin on Wednesday, March 7 at 11:00 a.m. with the opening session of the Youth Obesity Prevention Summit and conclude on Friday at 12:00 noon. Details regarding the schedule are on the new BoHS web site at www.thebohs.org.  Please share the invitation with colleagues, associate and assistant deans, department heads and faculty.

The GSA (U.S. General Services Administration) posted a video on kids.gov about the Cooperative Extension System's Reality Store/Real Money, Real World for middle-school and high-school students. 

Thanks to Jennifer Abel - Senior Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Arlington County who worked with the GSA kids.gov staff and participated in the video interview.  You can view the video here:   

http://www.kids.gov/

 http://www.kids.gov/video/reality_store.shtml (Quicktime required)

 http://www.youtube.com/kidsgov

Program Description:

Each year, America's high schools graduate thousands of young adults who are unprepared in matters of employment and financial decisions.  Nationwide Cooperative Extension Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H Youth Development educators have written and are delivering a results-oriented program known as Reality Store or Real Money, Real World.  These personal financial curricula simulate real-life experiences to help youth become aware of the money management skills they need.  All programs are designed to be a partnership between the county Cooperative Extension Office, the school, and the business community.

To locate and contact your local Cooperative Extension Service go to:   http://www.nifa.usda.gov/Extension/index.html