International Family Storytelling Launches

Part Two of Learning Life’s Family Diplomacy (FD) Training launched today as seven FD trainees told often wrenching stories about their lives and their families.  The trainees, from the USA, Zimbabwe, Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria, Albania and Georgia, told family stories about foster care, suicide, gender inequality, civil war, inheritance, kinship, and identity.  You can hear each of their initial stories in this video, each five minutes or less, starting at 36:40 in the video:

Launched in 2016, Learning Life’s Family Diplomacy Initiative (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 connected over 10,000 people worldwide to FDI via Facebook, and 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 in 2022, 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.

This year, the Phase 2 FD training runs every Sunday, 12:00-1:30pm ET (New York/Washington DC time) from July 10 to October 23 via Zoom, with certificates of completion for those who complete Part 1 on power and citizen diplomacy, plus family issues, patterns and trends (July 10-August 21), and Part 2 on family storytelling (August 28-October 23). On Sundays, October 9 and 16, the FD trainees will deliver their final family story performances via Zoom, and all those interested are invited to attend.  To attend, contact us at email@learninglife.info to get the Zoom link. Get full details on the 2022 Family Diplomat Training here.

Learn more about FDI and how you can get involved here.