On the occasion of the academic collaboration agreement signed with the Pontificia Università della Santa Croce within the programme: ‘Towards a Culture of Care. A response to the anthropological crisis’, we will be holding the conference “Perspectives on altruism: empathy, compassion, care” in Rome on 6-7-8 March.

Two of our HRF directors, Prof. Rosa Lastra and Prof. Maria Teresa Russo are part of the Scientific Committee that has studied the proposals received. As you can see in the programme we share with you here, HRF will lead a workshop on Friday 7th March at 15.00h entitled The Home Factor between self-care, care for others, care for the environment and this will be able to be followed by streaming.

The workshop will be moderated by our director Prof. Julia Prats and will be attended by:

Francesca Ditifeci, Università di Firenze, Italy
Mohamed Gamal Abdelmonem, University of York, UK
Rosa Lastra, Queen Mary University, UK
Luca Valera, Universidad de Valladolid, Spain

The conference aims to delve into the issue of altruism as an essential link between the Self and Otherness, interpreting it as a specific human feature, both on a theoretical and applied level. During the conference, a philosophical reflection on altruism will open up an interdisciplinary perspective on medicine, ecology, communication, pedagogy, theology, and sociology, among others.

Charles Handy was a good man. It is said that behind a good man is a good woman and in this case that was true. Charles and Elizabeth Handy were excellent persons and extremely generous with the Home Renaissance Foundation.

We approached them in 2007 to write ‘Home as a School for Life’ a book on the home that Elizabeth, a professional photographer, described photographically three different families’ lives. And it was an amazing experience that we all always remember.

In 2015, Charles and Elizabeth Handy supported us in the policy report ‘Bricks and Mortar Across Generations: A Think Piece on Intergenerational Living in the United Kingdom’ that we presented at the House of Lords by writing the afterword.

Charles Handy was a writer, broadcaster and lecturer. His books on the changing shape of work and its effects on our lives and organizations have sold two million copies around de world. His latest books, include his memoir ‘Myself and Other More Important Matters’ and ‘The New Philanthropists: Making a Difference’ with – photographs by his wife. This is a sequel to their earlier book ‘The new Alchemists’ profiling successful entrepreneurs in all walks of life. At the time of his death, Handy had one book forthcoming, The View from Ninety: Reflections on Living a Long, Contented Life, which is set for publication in 2025.

In his career, he had been an oil executive with Shell, a business economist, Professor at the London Business School, the Warden of St. George’s House in Windsor Castle (a study centre for social and ethical issues) and the Chairman of the Royal Society of Arts. He was also known in Britain for his Thoughts for Today on the BBC radio breakfast show ‘Today’. He was Irish and grew up in Kildare but he died at his home in London on 13 December 2024.

It All Starts at Home. This is a message that we have been trying to convey to the population and policy-makers since the Home Renaissance Foundation began its work almost 20 years ago, in order to highlight the value of the home as the fabric of our lives.

It is exciting to see how institutions and foundations worldwide organise forums and conferences with the home as a starting point. We saw this first-hand in May in New York at the 30th anniversary of the International Day of Families, in which we participated, and we are happy to see that ‘It All Starts at Home’ was the title of the twelfth World Urban Forum held in Cairo last week, curated by UN-Habitat and facilitated by global thought leaders and experts.

With a record-breaking attendance of over 24,000 participants from 182 countries, speakers, panelists, and attendees from diverse backgrounds explored the multifaceted dimensions of Home and reflected on its significance across various sectors.

Its programme states: The concept of “home” extends beyond the physical structures that shelter us to encompass the cultural, social, economic and environmental dimensions of daily life. It furthermore embodies the intangible attributes of belonging, meaning and values that shape the sustainability of our cities and communities.

As you know, in HRF as a result of all these years we have published a document in which we explain WHAT is HOME, edited by our director Prof. Antonio Argandoña and with the contribution of many researchers who have collaborated with us so far.

In the Forum, they also restate the role of the academy as an engine of knowledge, and in the Academia Roundtable, scholars and researchers explored how research and data can help solve the climate-related urban housing crisis. They examined how data can inform strategies addressing housing affordability, access to basic services, and environmental sustainability. Research can create innovative solutions tailored to diverse community needs through interdisciplinary collaboration, knowledge co-production, and cross-sector partnerships. HRF is proud to be a part of this vital conversation – and to be the pioneer think tank making the case for Home.

Next call WUF13 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Led by FAFCE, seven prominent organisations from the seven G7 countries (Canada, Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom, United States, and Japan) signed the Family 7, a statement recognising the important role of families and homes in society, which was presented at the G7 Equal Opportunities Summit on 4-6 October in Matera, Italy.

At the end of September, FAFCE President Vincenzo Bassi and Forum delle Associazioni Familiari President Adriano Bordignon hand-delivered the statement to the Italian Minister for Family, Birth and Equal Opportunities, Eugenia Roccella, who declared that “the F7 is an important contribution, both in terms of equal opportunities and the closely related issues of family and demography. Women’s empowerment, and in particular the freedom of women to realise their aspirations without perceiving career and motherhood as incompatible options, is the challenge we are facing’. She added: ‘I thank the F7 for focusing on these issues and I hope that the Matera summit will provide new ideas for action and reflection.”

The document calls for international recognition of the family for its vital role in society and offers policies related to women’s economic participation, unpaid care work, demographics, sustainable development and social inclusion.

FAFCE’s key priority is the demographic crisis, which has led to a culture of loneliness and generational imbalance. Its president, Vincenzo Bassi sees the F7 as “an unprecedented contribution to the G7 as the role of the family as the basic cell of society is even more important in this disastrous demographic winter. The plummeting birth rate and the increasing ageing of society have a major impact on finances, pension systems and social cohesion. The response must prioritise intergenerational solidarity, which starts with the family. Stronger families will help current and future generations to prepare for a more sustainable future.”

The signatories of the F7 are The Institute for Family Studies – USA, Family Enrichment, IFFD – Canada, Home Renaissance Foundation – UK, Familienbund der Katholiken – Germany, Confédération nationale des Associations Familiales Catholiques – France, Forum delle Associazioni Familiari – Italy, Japan Family Development Association – Japan and leading this initiative is FAFCE – Fédération des Associations Familiales Catholiques en Europe.

You can read the F7 here.

‘The Search for Home among Forced Migrants and Refugees’ responds to a reality experienced by 413 million migrants and displaced persons in the world.

On 30 and 31 October, our director and Chair in Architecture at the University of York, Professor Gamal Abdelmonem represented the Home Renaissance Foundation at the International Year of the Family Conference organised by Doha International Family Institute which took place in Qatar.

Prof. Abdelmonem delivered the policies of our Expert Meeting held in Nottingham ‘Home/Family and Climate Change’ whose policy report we launched at the United Nations in May.

This conference explored the present and future of families and communities by bringing together distinguished experts, policymakers, and thought leaders to engage in insightful discussions, roundtable sessions, and exhibitions. Four key megatrends impacting families were approached: Technological, Demographic and Climate Change and Migration and Urbanization.

Here you can see the experts and keynotes

Dear friends,

We are delighted to announce that we have just signed an academic partnership with the Pontificia Università della Santa Croce within the programme: ‘Towards a Culture of Care. A response to the anthropological crisis.’

Our academic director, Prof. Rosa Lastra will represent HRF as a member of the Scientific Committee of the partnership that among other activities is organizing a conference in March 2025.

The conference aims to delve into the issue of altruism as an essential link between the Self and Otherness, interpreting it as a specific human feature, both on a theoretical and applied level. During the conference, a philosophical reflection on altruism will open up an interdisciplinary perspective on medicine, ecology, communication, pedagogy, theology, and sociology, among others.

HRF will coordinate and moderate a workshop on ‘The value of the Home in the Culture of Care’ at this meeting. We shall share more details soon.

In the meantime, you will find the info on the Conference here.

If you are interested in these topics, you can submit an extended abstract (700 words, either in Italian or English) to Francesco Russo (frusso@pusc.it) and Luca Valera (luca.valera@uva.es) by October 31, 2024. The organizers will contact the authors of the selected abstracts and inform them of the participation details by November 15, 2024. The conference will be held at the Pontificia Università della Santa Croce (Rome, Italy) from March 6 to 8, 2025.