Yesterday, the Aula Magna at UIC Barcelona played host to the conference “Young People’s Pathways and Building a Family”, an initiative of the University’s Childcare Family Policies Chair, with support from the Joaquim Molins Figueras Foundation, which is also celebrating its 25th anniversary. The event, held as part of the International Workshop on “Young People, Life Paths and Family Plans”, provided a forum for reflecting on the personal, social and cultural challenges that young people today face when imagining, building and sustaining a family.
The conference began with an opening address from the two co-directors of the Childcare Family Policies Chair, Dr Marc Grau, director of the Institute for Advanced Family Studies (IESF) at UIC Barcelona, and Dr Montserrat Gas, full professor at UIC Barcelona and current president of the International Network of University Family Institutes (REDIUF), alongside Ms Esperanza Molins, director of the Joaquim Molins Figueras Foundation, who emphasised the importance of generating real opportunities for future generations and accompanying young people.
In her remarks, Montserrat Gas focused on the complexity of the context in which young people are currently growing, characterised by “vast opportunities, yet also great uncertainty”. In this regard, she stressed the need to accompany them in their life processes and emotional development: “To accompany means to walk with them, to listen to their questions and help them discover their deepest desires.”
The first lecture was delivered by writer and philosopher Dr Fabrice Hadjadj, director of the Incarnatus est Institute, entitled “Family Beyond the Expectation”. Throughout his talk, Hadjadj reflected on the gap between today’s idealised views of the family and its everyday reality, calling for recognition of its human, relational and generative dimensions. He also explored the family from an anthropological and cultural perspective, drawing on literary and biblical references, and advocated for a more realistic and hopeful view of family bonds.
Afterwards, child and couples neuropsychiatrist Dr Mariolina Ceriotti delivered the lecture “Personal Maturity and Building a Family”, focused on personal growth processes and the difficulties that many young people face in establishing stable, long-lasting relationships in today’s context.
In her speech, Ceriotti analysed topics such as the pursuit of self-realisation, the fragility of relationships and the difficulties of committing in a society characterised by immediacy and uncertainty. She further underlined the importance of restoring values such as trust, responsibility and personal reliability as the basis of human and family relationships.
The event drew teaching staff, professionals and students interested in the challenges surrounding family, education and support for young people and is part of the activities promoted by the Childcare Family Policies Chair to foster research, interdisciplinary reflection and knowledge transfer on family relationships and public policies affecting children, young people and families.
