Introduction

The UIC Institute for Advanced Family Studies is organising three sessions during the 2026-2027 academic year for teachers, school counsellors, school leaders and families. The initiative is based on the conviction that the family is the primary environment for a person’s development, and that cooperation between families and schools plays a key role in educational success.

However, this cooperation poses increasingly complex challenges, making ongoing, practice-oriented training particularly valuable. The excellent response to the conference held on 10 April 2026 confirmed the demand for highly practical training focused on strengthening relationships with families through tools that may be applied directly in the classroom.

This programme responds directly to that need under the title Fragility and Flourishing. Grounded in the concept of flourishing, as developed in positive psychology and integrated into the Positive Youth Development approach, the programme highlights the importance of strengths, relationships and opportunities in promoting the holistic development of children and young people.

The three sessions share a common goal: to provide teachers practical resources they can apply from day one. Each session addresses a contemporary challenge – character and relationships, emotional fragility and the digital environment – with a shared purpose: to strengthen teachers’ ability to support families through a genuine educational partnership.

Three events, one journey

Together, the three sessions form a coherent, progressive programme. The families and teachers who attend all three sessions will learn to foster respectful family relationships, recognise and support adolescents experiencing emotional distress in cooperation with their parents and work with families to build healthy relationships in response to the challenges of the digital environment.

1. Educating Character: The Best Legacy for Building Healthy Relationships
23 October 2026
09.30–17.00
The partnership between families and schools strengthens respect, prevents violence and enables adolescents to develop the personal strengths they need to build healthy relationships that will support them throughout their lives.

Session programme

09.30 – Keynote address: Cristina Reyes
11.15 – Montse Giner
14.15 – Workshop: simulations
15.45 – Workshop: simulations
16.45 – End

2. What Do We Do When an Adolescent Is Struggling? How to Support Without Losing Hope
19 February 2027
09.30–17.00
How can we tell when an adolescent needs help? What can we do before things get worse? In this session, we will explore the key aspects of understanding mental health during adolescence and provide practical tools for responding to emotional fragility, enabling families and teachers to recognise when support is needed, offer support, build trust and foster personal flourishing.

Session programme
09.30 – Keynote address: Luis Gutiérrez Rojas
11.15 – Session with Sandra Astete
14.15 – Session with Mercedes Haydón
15.45 – Workshops (Genka / Enlace / SOM VIA - Ments Despertes)
16.45 – End

3. Digital Wellbeing: Helping Young People Thrive in a Hyperconnected World
16 April 2027
09.30–17.00
Screens are already part of young people’s lives; learning to use them well should also be part of their education. We will reflect on the impact of the digital environment on wellbeing, relationships and learning, offering practical strategies for digital parenting and cooperation between families and schools to help educate with sound judgement, serenity and confidence.

Session programme
09.30 – Keynote address: Antonio Rial Boubeta
11.15 – Session with Alejandro Villena
14.00 – Session with Ana Blázquez
15.45 – Workshop: simulations
16.45 – End

Price: €50 per session (includes breakfast and parking, available upon request)

More information: iesf@uic.es