Colorado State University Hosts Community Workshop to Prepare Children for Global Society

A series of monthly workshops developed to help community members enhance their family relationships will begin Feb. 1 at Colorado State University.

The first workshop, "Preparing Children for a Global Society," aims to increase cultural awareness among children. The presentation, part of the Families at Five series, will be led by Alicia Skinner, professor for Human Development and Family Studies, and Jason Kinnear, program coordinator in the Office of International Programming. The event, free and open to the public, runs from 5:45-6:45 p.m. in Room 144 of the Gifford Building on campus.

The goal of the workshop is to help prepare children for a future that will require greater cross-cultural acceptance and understanding. The presenters will provide handouts on cultural awareness opportunities in the Fort Collins community as well as suggest activities and materials for families wanting to internationalize their children’s lives.

Children are welcome to attend with their parents or they can participate in programs especially designed for their age group. The children’s program, "Free to be You and Me," is for participants ages 3-6 and 7-11 and includes activities centered on understanding and celebrating different cultures.

This spring semester, the Families at Five program will feature a presentation on the first Thursday of each month. The topics include "Facing Challenges and Delights of Parenting Adolescents," "Fostering a Healthy Lifestyle for Children" and "Helping Children Cope with Divorce and Remarriage." The program is sponsored by the Colorado State University Center for Family and Couple Therapy within the College of Applied Human Sciences.

The spring schedule follows.

March 1

"Facing Challenges and Delights of Parenting Adolescents"

Speaker: Jill Kreutzer, Human Development and Family Studies professor

Children’s program: "Growing Up"

April 5

"Fostering Healthy Lifestyle for Children"

Speaker: Art Campbell, professor and department head of Food Science and

Human Nutrition

Children’s program: "How to be Healthy"

May 3

"Helping Children Cope with Divorce and Remarriage"

Speaker: Kevin P. Lyness, Human Development and Family Studies professor Children’s program: "When Mom and Dad Divorce (or, My Family’s Changing)"

For more information, contact Jennifer Corbett Price at (970) 491-7452.