First Animated Video About Family Diplomacy

Learning Life is thrilled to present our very first animated video! The 2.5 minute video explains Learning Life’s Family Diplomacy Initiative as FDI this month enters its second phase of development.  

Launched in 2016, FDI is an ambitious, long-term effort to connect, train and empower families to participate in decision-making at local to global levels.  We envision a world more connected and caring because every family has one or more family diplomats, and those citizen diplomats advocate effectively via nonprofits, businesses, media and governments for the needs, concerns and aspirations of families worldwide.  In Phase 1 of FDI, from 2016 to 2021, Learning Life engaged families in different nations in live dialogues via Zoom, and asynchronous dialogues via our FDI Facebook Group to learn about each other.  In Phase 2, starting this July, motivated volunteers across the world are getting training as family diplomats (FDs).  Phase 3, the final phase of FDI’s development, will connect trained FDs with nonprofits, businesses, governments and media in order to advocate for the needs, concerns and aspirations of different families across the world.    

We are pleased to release this new animated video, linked below, in tandem with the start of Phase 2 in order to help promote and grow FDI.  “Family diplomacy is a global learning community and social movement any motivated person ages 14 and older with internet access and English speaking ability can take part in to help build a more caring world,” said Paul Lachelier, Learning Life’s founder and director.   

For ten months, from August 2021 to June 2022, a team of volunteers including Lachelier and talented interns, Rachel Farzan, Maria Lujan (both from Virginia Commonwealth University), and Yutong Jiang (George Washington University) worked steadily together to produce the video.  Learning Life is enormously thankful for their work.    

Learn more about FDI’s three phases, Phase 1’s different dialogue projects and their impact, the thinking behind family diplomacy, and how you can get involved via our FDI page.