On Wednesday September 30th, just over a hundred people expressed their interest and concern about this important topic, attending a meeting which was co-sponsored by the Universal Peace Federation and the Women’s Federation for World Peace.

It is a very controversial issue these days. Many people, politicians included, avoid defining what the word ‘family’ means now, for fear of offending those who do not sit within the confines of that definition. Paradoxically, many others believe that a large percentage of the social problems we currently face in society stem from the rapid rise of family breakdown, and unless we attempt to address this we will always be treating symptoms rather than one of the root causes.

In his presentation to the meeting, David Earle highlighted two recent headlines which reflect this, from our national newspapers. First, emblazoned across the front page of the Daily Telegraph was ‘Death of the Traditional Family’. Then more recently in the Times, under the heading ‘It’s not us. It’s them’ was an article explaining that many teachers feel that it is parents who are responsible for chaos in the classroom. Before David’s presentation, Sikh, Muslim and Hindu representatives gave a short account of the importance placed on the

family within their particular faith traditions, including some of the difficulties faced in attempting to maintain strong family ties, and to impart good moral values which can guide children in our western societies.

After time for general discussion, those present were asked to indicate their interest in one of 5 areas: Values Education for young people and schools; Marriage Preparation programmes; Marriage Enrichment programmes; Family Awards banquet and celebration; and Interfaith Marriage rededication. We hope to develop some of these in a way which can be of practical benefit to the wider society. The evening concluded with much informal chatting, networking and refreshments together!