UN
International Day of Families
The
United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution 44/82 of
8 Dec. 1989 declared 1994 to be the Year of the Family. In
its resolution 47/237 of 20 Sept. 1993 it declared 15 May
as the International Day of Families. United
Nations DofF
| 
The
UN's Official Logo for The International Day of Families,
representing the roof of a house being sucked down a
drain. |
Background:
Proclaimed
by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 47/237
of 20 September 1993, the annual observance of the International
Day of Families reflects the importance that the international
community attaches to families as basic units of societies
as well as its concern regarding their situation around the
world.
Governments,
non-governmental organizations, educational institutions,
religious groups and individuals can promote a better understanding
of the functions and problems, strengths and needs of families
by organizing observances of the International Day of Families.
The Day also provides an opportunity to increase knowledge
of the economic, cultural, social and demographic processes
affecting families.
Source:
United
Nations Information Note
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Families
and Aging: Opportunities and Challenges.
On 15 May 2002, the eighth year anniversary celebration of
the International Day of Families will be observed. Proclaimed
by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 47/237
of 20 September 1993, this annual observance reflects the
importance, which the international community attaches to
families as basic units of society as well as its concern
regarding their situation around the world. The International
Day of Families provides an opportunity to promote awareness
of issues relating to families as well as to promote appropriate
action. The Day can become a powerful mobilizing factor on
behalf of families in all countries, which avail themselves
of this opportunity and demonstrate support of family issues
appropriate to each society.
The international theme for 2002 is “Families and Again:
Opportunities and Challenges”. This theme was suggested
in the context of the Second World Assembly on Again to be
held in Madrid in April 2002 and provides the opportunity
to raise public awareness about crucial issues concerning
families and older people.
Source:
United
Nations: Day of Families
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Suggestions
for Observing the DoF:
The United Nations has never been known as a really fun group
and most of its recommendations for observing the Day of Families
consist of all those things the younger members of families
are always trying to get away from, such as:
- Family
and community forums and workshops to explore issues and
offer options for strengthening families.
- Special
events in educational settings such as parent/teacher gatherings
or student activities to highlight relevant issues and questions
related to families.
One suspects,
in fact, that the United Nations doesn't actually have a family.
Still, not all of their ideas are washouts. They also recommend
special fares for or free tickets for transit, museums, exhibitions,
concerts and such.
Source:
UN
Information Sheet
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StatsCan
on Families: In 1971, the
average family consisted of 3.7 members.
Source. In 2000 this had shrunk to 3.0. In 1991 the total
number of husband-wife families was 6,402,090 which rose to
6,700,360 by 1996. Lone-parent families also rose, from 953,640
in 1991 to 1,137,510 in 1996. Source.
There are more statistics on families available from Statistics
Canada at Families,
Households and Housing.
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Adopting
Families: You don't have
to be born into a family to be a well-loved member, and in
Canada there are numerous ways to go about bringing in a new
child. At Family
Helper, there's a ton of information about adopting children
in Ontario, Canada and internationally. These include Agencies
in Canada with special information for each of the provinces
including Ontario.
(And because he was so great in his commercials, and cared
so much about adoption, here's the link to the Dave
Thomas Foundation for Adoption.)
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Family
Trees:
The Ontario
Genealogical Society is a great place to start discovering
all the nuts in your family tree. Begin with their How
To Start Your Family History page, learn about Important
Ontario Records & Resources, learn how to conduct
your own
Internet Research and before you know it you will have
caught the addiction that leads so many people to hang around
old churches and graveyards in the hopes of meeting up with
an ancestor (metaphorically speaking of course - except for
Goths).
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 Famous
Canadian Families:
Canada has its share of famous families. These include the
Dionne
quintuplets, the Wrestling
Harts (Bret, Owen, Bruce and Keith), The Loyalist Jarvis's,
the Money-Back-Guarantee Eatons,
and of course the Oh-I-Know-I've-Seen-Her-In-Something-Now-What-Was-It
Dales (Cynthia
and Jennifer).
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Grandparenthood
in Canada:
This year's theme of the Day of Families is Families and Again
Here is the Vanier Institute of the Family's report on Contemporary
Trends of Grandparenthood
in Canada. One of its more daring conclusions is that
the factors influencing whether or not people become grandparents
include how long they live and whether or not they have children.
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