Department of Gender and Family Affairs recognized the United Nation’s 2021 International Day of Families, celebrated on Saturday, May 15
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — During a local discussion broadcast, in observance of the United Nations 2021 International Day of Families, sponsored by National Organization Development (NOD) Connections International, Dr Jacinta Higgs, director of the Department of Gender and Family Affairs, shared her insights gleaned from the UN’s Webinar, Friday, May 14, 2021, celebrating this occasion.
The event highlighted this year’s theme, “Families and New Technologies”, and was also attended by Cheryl Walkine-Alexandre, organizational development consultant and executive director of NOD Connections International.
Higgs shared that just as spices and herbs have been used for medicinal purposes in healing the body, it can also be used for healing families. She offered the SPICES acronym as a prescription to help families cope with new technologies challenges.
S — be spiritually smart and guided in your words, thoughts and actions.
P — be physically present when your children explore the internet and work together as a family by learning about new technologies.
I — be Intuitive, interested and intellectually wise by asking children to share, show and teach you, as a parent, information they learn on the computer.
C — be calm, cool and collected when your child or family member shares or learns information from the computer that is shocking or inappropriate. “Please, for God’s sake, do not row (fuss) them out!” This will cause them to be secretive with you and not share disturbing or damaging experiences going on in their lives in the future.
E — be eager to educate yourselves. Whether in new technology or parenting education, humble yourself and allow your children and other family members to teach you new computer skills. Walkine-Alexandre, (Sister Cher), added: “This education will also help to bridge the technological divide and help individuals and family members become more marketable in the workplace.”
S — be socially supportive. Let technology be used to help, not hurt, family members.
Contributing to the talks, Dr Timothy Rarick, professor, Head of the Home and Family, Brigham Young University-Idaho and frequent United Nations presenter in NYC on the Status of Women, spoke to the importance of recognizing responsibility as an important component of the human right of technology, as proclaimed by the UN.
He said it is “not loving” for policymakers to determine a right without taking first the responsibility of teaching the use, benefits and negative impact of the right, in this case technology, to children, parents and other stakeholders.
Rarick explained it would be irresponsible to say it is your right to have a car without first teaching how to drive the car and the consequences of misuse of that car. Hence, governments and civil society must consider the protection and facilitation of rights in recommendations of family-oriented policies and legislation.
During the webinar, the new background research paper on “Technology Use and Families: Implications for Work-Family Balance and Parenting Education” launched by Dr Susan Walker, researcher and associate professor, University of Minnesota, gave guidance and insights to stakeholders on how programmes and policies can be framed for The Bahamas, a UN member.
“New Technologies” as the focus of the 2021 International Day of The Families is the first of four megatrends impacting families that the UN’s division of Inclusive Social Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs will spotlight in its annual observance preparations leading up to the 30th anniversary of the International Day of Families in 2024. The other megatrends impacting individuals and families that will each be the focus in 2022 through 2024 are demographic shifts, rapid urbanization and migration trends and climate change.
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