In recent years, both scholars and policy makers have shown considerable interest in the trends—observable for at least a generation among industrialized societies — toward weaker and smaller social networks, less engagement in civic life, and diminished trust in neighbors and societal institutions.As a practical matter, these trends are reflected in decreasing availability of “natural” help, especially among young adults. Unsurprisingly, there is ample evidence that such gaps between needs and social resources create or worsen threats to children’s safety and well-being.
The Second Annual Greenville Family Symposium brings together the Clemson University Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life and three co-sponsoring national or international scientific and professional organizations (the American Orthopsychiatric Association, the International Family Therapy Association, and the International Society for Child Indicators). The diversity of cultures and disciplines represented in the symposium promises to result in stimulating, novel discussions of ideas that can be applied in research, programs, and policies to strengthen communities and enhance the well-being of children and families. Crossing professional generations, the Symposium offers special opportunities for students to engage in discussions about the ingredients in inclusive communities supportive of children and families.
Final date for abstract submissions is 25 January 2010.
For more information about the symposium, see the family symposium web site.