Cross-Border Family Mediation
Riga, 11 April 2014
Group Discussion Exercise: „Families in my culture”
Instructions for students:
1. Take a few minutes to think individually about the questions below.
2. Form a small group, each student coming from a different country (if
possible).
3. Share your answers/thoughts in the small group, each student taking his/her
turn to talk, other students listen carefully.
4. Afterwards there will be debriefing in large group.
1. The role of mothers and fathers:
o In general, at what age do people get married?
o How many children does an average family have?
o The importance of mother / father to the child at certain ages of the
children (infant, toddler/pre-school age, school age, teenagers,
students)
o Involvement of fathers in everyday care for children
o In general, for how long do mothers stay home after childbirth?
o How common is divorce and how does society view single parents?
2. Extended family:
o How close/or distant relations are generally between “nuclear family” and
“extended family” (grandparents / aunts and uncles / godparents / other family
members)
o What role does extended family play in raising children?
3. Upbringing and education:
o Usual age for children entering childcare / nursery etc.
o Society’s attitudes towards childcare vs. raising children at home
o Starting what age are children expected and allowed to stay home
alone?
o Starting what age are children / young people allowed a certain
degree of freedom? Examples…
4. Family conflicts:
o Are family conflicts carried out openly or “behind closed doors”?
o Do people feel ashamed of family conflicts or can they discuss it as a “reality
of life” with extended family and friends?
o How do people express their feelings and wishes in your culture?
o Mechanisms for families and communities in dealing with family conflicts…
Based on materials from Training of Trainers in International Family Mediation,
Eberhard Carl, Sybille Kiesewetter, Christoph C.Paul, Jamie Walker (Bruseels, 2012)