The family’s task to educate in the religious dimension, the influence of mass media, and the resulting educational challenges were the topics at the heart of the seminar entitled “Family and Religious Education in a Media Environment” “, which was held on November 6, 2010. The seminar was organized by the Institute for Advanced Religious Studies of the University of the Holy Cross (www.pusc.it/issra ) in collaboration with the Forum of the Family Associations (www.forumfamiglie.org).
The seminar included over one hundred highly qualified participants, varying from teachers and professors of religion to social workers and psychiatrists.
The experts who addressed the “media factor” in the general education process, and particularly in faith education, were: Francesco Belleti, President of the Forum of the Family Associations, Francesco Cantelmi, professor of psychology at the the University of Rome LUMSA, France Olearo, of the Perseus Foundation and member of the Film Review Board of Revision for the Italian Ministry of Culture, and Norberto González Gaitano, director of Familyandmedia.
“The creative capacity to forge and diffuse lifestyles, to exalt or debase ethical values” served as the springboard for reflection and for establishing criteria and guiding principles for educators. “To educate children in the freedom and autonomy of thought also depends upon the way of dealing with, understanding, and learning how to use the various means of communication.”
Throughout the day, different digital initiatives at the service of the family were presented, such as www.cinemafamilytv.it and our site.
