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IFOTES Congress
2007: greetings from Telefono Amico Italia
Together with all volunteers who operate Telefono
Amico Italia, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all national
and foreign participants who plan to participate in the XVII
IFOTES Congress which will be held in Prato, Tuscany from 11th
July to 15th July 2007.
Thanks to the passion and organizational commitment
of the local volunteers, everything has been planned for the
peaceful invasion of the numerous participants. They will attend
the activities organized in some of the city's historical buildings
which have been kindly made available to us by the local authorities
of Prato and expressly equipped in order to carry out the varied
programme.
Several eminent lecturers will be taking part
in the Congress, coming from various fields such as social sciences,
medicine, communication and sport, and they will lead the participants
to the discovery and understanding of emotions from both a scientific
and practical point of view.
The hundreds of people coming from all parts
of the world will also have the opportunity of comparing their
own personal experiences of offering help-line service. Together
with all volunteers of Telefono Amico Italia, they will also
be invited to celebrate a special event: the introduction, one
year ago, of a General Telephone Number active in all the centres
over the country.
Telefono Amico Italia celebrates the 40th Anniversary
of its foundation this year and thus wholeheartedly accepted
to help organize the IFOTES Congress. Events will be well signposted
and transportation organized in such a way that facilities used
for group work and research, accommodation for the participants,
and public services may all be reached without difficulty. In
addition, for all the participants at the congress there will
be many proposals and suggestions on how to spend their free
time available to them: discover the city and its culture, visit
Florence and its most famous monuments, tour the naturally beautiful
areas and discover the magical atmosphere of this wonderful
land, birthplace of many famous artists and poets.
We sincerely hope to see a great number of
you in Prato for this exceptional event, where we shall have
the opportunity of studying, discussing and comparing beliefs
regarding social commitment, but at the same time allowing us
to express our emotions, vital in reaching an understanding
of relationships and the improvement of the emotional wellbeing
of people.
Kindest regards,
Silvio Bagattin
President Telefono Amico Italia
Every three years IFOTES together with a national member organises
an international congress. The objectives are to:
- exchange experiences and training related to emotional and mental health in various cultural environments
- explore the latest scientific research in plenary sessions and workshops
- further improve the quality of the services offered by members
- increase the motivation for volunteer work in this field
The 2007 Congress will be a special event, for it will:
- examine today’s state-of-the-art work on emotions and explore potential development
- be open for the first time to other NGOs
- benefit from European media coverage
- celebrate the 40th anniversary of both IFOTES and TAI
- be the platform from which the unique Italian phone number will be officially launched
The Congress will address both the scientific and the practical aspects of emotional health and explore how we can develop a world in which humans are able to recognise and manage their emotions and needs and build non-violent relationships.
Professionals from all over the world will bring a wide range of expertise, giving lectures and leading workshops. Also be contributing will be the Swiss National Research Centre in Affective Sciences at the University of Geneva, that is promoting a multi-disciplinary approach to affective sciences and emotions.
The Congress will be held in five languages (English, French, German, Italian and Spanish). Simultaneous translation will be available.
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