2019: a very good year for HRF

As 2019 comes to a close I have great pleasure in sending news of our recent activities and some reflections on what has been a very good year for Home Renaissance Foundation.

The year began with our Experts’ Meeting: “The Home in the Digital Age” held with the support of the Social Trends Institute (STI). Clear indications for the importance of our work came from this meeting, along with high-calibre discussion and a publication in preparation.

We are committed to having “a seat at the table” where decisions affecting the life of the home are made. This has seen our directors and staff team taking part in discussions at the House of Commons, House of Lords and in the Spanish and European Parliaments.

This autumn has seen HRF continuing this work as a catalyst for change by engaging with key organisations and policy makers. Following our involvement in the International Federation for Family Development (IFFD) Congress in London this October, we were pleased to host a meeting with Renata Kacmarska Social Affairs Officer for the UN. As a result of this, we are looking forward to working with Renata on future projects.

The year also saw very successful launches in Nottingham and Warsaw of the publication from our first Experts’ Meeting: The Home: Multidisciplinary Reflections edited by our academic director, Professor Antonio Argandoña. I can now announce that we have signed a contract with Routledge for the publication from our 4th Conference: A Place Called Home, edited by our patron, Professor Mohamed Gamal Abdelmonem. This is something else to look forward to in 2020.

Preparations are going well for our 5th Conference “Happy Homes, Happy Society? The contribution of domestic life in a time of social changes” to be held in London, 12-13 November 2020, again with the support of STI. We are delighted that Professor Maria Teresa Russo is our conference director, and that Richard, Lord Layard, the distinguished economist and author is to be our keynote speaker. There will be more about him and his work as editor of the World Happiness Report and author of the influential Happiness: Lessons from a New Science on our website in January. Please do share the Call for Papers for the conference with your own networks.

I end 2019 and this letter with thanks for the generosity of all those who have given their time, skills and financial support to the work of Home Renaissance Foundation this year, restoring the value of home for everyone.

Best wishes for Christmas and for a very happy 2020!

Bryan K. Sanderson, CBE