Last Saturday, October 19, Dénia was the scene of the XNUMXnd Emotional Education Conference: 'Educating to be', organized within the framework of the Emotional Education Space, one of the key initiatives of the 'Dénia Ciutat del pensament' project.
This event, held as a pre-event for Dénia Festival of the Humanities, reaffirms the municipality's commitment to promoting emotional health and the well-being of the community.
The Emotional Education Space reflects the fundamental values of the 'Dénia Ciutat del pensament' project: attracting and circulating knowledge to stimulate creativity and improve the quality of life and well-being of citizens.
The day was organized by the Llebeig school, the Dénia Creativa Dénia Foundation and the Dénia City Council.
Laia Mestres: Educating in emotional competencies
In her speech, Laia Mestres highlighted the importance of emotionally competent schools. She stressed that educating children and adolescents in emotional competence is crucial for their comprehensive development. According to Mestres, it is essential that they grow up surrounded by emotionally balanced adults and in environments where their emotional intelligence is fostered, both at home and in the classroom.
Mestres advised families and teaching staff to be willing to listen to young people's emotional experiences, validate their emotions without judging their behavior, avoid overprotection, and promote healthy habits. She also addressed the importance of teaching them to manage frustration and develop resilience, facing challenges that take them out of their comfort zone. Ultimately, the expert proposed guiding youth in reflecting on their well-being, setting meaningful goals, and their contribution to collective well-being.
Cecilia Martin: ensuring the well-being of minors in a separation
Cecilia Martín presented the paper The divorce that unites us, where she addressed emotional management during the separation of parents and its impact on the family and school environment. Martín emphasized the importance of parents communicating the decision jointly and calmly, allowing daughters and sons to express their emotions without feeling responsible or obliged to give an opinion.
He also highlighted the fundamental role of the teaching staff, who must be informed about the situation in order to detect possible changes in the behaviour of the minors and offer the necessary support. Martín's intervention underlined the importance of adults maintaining mutual respect and collaborating with the school to ensure the emotional well-being of the children.
Caterina de Francisco: responsible and healthy use of ICT
Caterina de Francisco's speech, entitled Education, security and digital health, focused on the challenges and risks that the digital age poses for children and adolescents. De Francisco pointed out the need to promote coexistence and security in educational centers, as well as to supervise the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to protect minors from inappropriate content.
She also addressed associated risks, such as body dysmorphia, eating disorders, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and addictions to social networks, pornography, and online video games. De Francisco offered recommendations to promote responsible and healthy use of ICTs in the daily lives of girls, boys, and adolescents.
Roberto Aguado: emotion decides and reason justifies
Roberto Aguado, in his presentation Mental Health: The Power of Knowing You Can, emphasized the relationship between emotions and reason, summarizing his message in the phrase “Emotion decides and reason justifies.” Aguado distinguished between mental illness and disorder, highlighting the importance of emotional awareness as a pillar of good mental health.
The expert advocated the need to identify emotions, avoid aggression or passivity and develop the ability to escape emotional states that can "hijack" the mind. He also spoke about intra and interpersonal conciliation as a key aspect for emotional well-being. Aguado also gave his talk to more than 450 second-year ESO students the day before the event.
Consolidation of the Emotional Education Space
With the celebration of this second day, the Emotional Education Space is consolidating itself as a benchmark in emotional management work in the educational and family sphere. Its objective is to teach girls, boys and adolescents to identify, express and manage their emotions, as well as to resolve conflicts through dialogue. Respect, empathy and tolerance are also promoted, contributing to creating a conscious emotional bond between students and the teaching staff.
Access to the presentations
The presentations of the II Conference on Emotional Education: Educating to be are available at YouTube channel of the Festival de les Humanitats.
