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JFWJIC CONVENTro ‘Nzomen’s Institute members and day visitors from across Canada gathered at the Nova Scotja Agriculturalâ€" College in Truro, from June 2 to 6, to participate in the Federated Women’s Institutes of Canada (FWIC) Thirteenth Trien- nial Convention. The convention theme was “Today’s Families, To- morrow’s Future." Many thanks to those members from Ontario who attended and pro- vided the following reports and highlights: Thursday, June 2, 1994 The swirl of bagpipes caused hearts to fill as the FW'IC Executive were piped into the Athletic Centre during the parade of the flags FWIO Past President, Margaret Eberle. can‘ied Ontario's provincial flag fol- lowed by President Donna Russett and President Elect Marg Harris. Jacquie Linde, FWIC President. gave the welcome and chaired the official Opening. As well as greetings from The Queen and the Prime Minister of Canada, best wishes were extended from a number oflocal and provina cial dignitaries. Valerie Fisher, President of the Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW), brought greetings from the ‘lnter- national Family of the World.‘ Barbara Crosbie. Vice-Chair of the Canada Committee on the International Year of the Family and a member of the Provincial In- terdisciplinary Committee of the Family in Newfoundland, delivered the theme address - “Today‘s Families, Tomorrow‘s Future." 10 Home &Country, Fall ‘94 ACWW President, Valerie Fisher (second from right) , and ACWW Area President for Canada. Peggy Knapp (right), greet and talk with Women's Institute members throughout the four-day convention. She stated that families are the heart of a community; they are the engine that drive the nation, And, while Canadians value the fam- ily unit and Canada is the best country in the world in which to live, some of our children have no home to sleep in, and they go to sleep hungry. There are many problems facing us today, she continued. And with a bit of grit and a lot of determination, we will get through. If we are not part of the solution, we are part of the problem. She questioned whether the most important function of family was having someone wonder where you are ifyou are not home on time. Crosbie described a day in the life of an average family. She asked: “Who is respon- sible for the family - for children, adolescents, single mothers and their chil- dren, the elderly. those with disabilities or illnesses?" The answer, of course, we are all responsible. She closed by saying that the Federated Women’s Institutes ofCanadais a role model for the let century and a driving force be- hind many important improvements in the national and international sphere, not the least of which is the International Year of the Family. By Marg Harris, President Elect, FWIO The Meaning ot Famlly The family is a :torehorue in which the finest treasure: are kept, The pleasures, sorrows, hopes and dream: of the world are Shirley Pellart, Falklwrd WI, Brant South N REPORTS FROM Trevino Friday, June 3, 1994 . Friday morning, Char- lotte Johnson, FWIC President Elect, pre- sented the changes in the constitution and by-laws and the policy and ad- ministrative guidelines. A Family Business Management Consult- ant, David Irvine from Alberta, followed with a talk about “Farm Family Renewal: Your Child’s Self-Esteem." “I was raised on a small farm in Central Al~ berta,” he said. “When reflecting about people who know about helpâ€" ing, I think of our neighbour and gardener, Jack. His style is derived from the whole farming approach, which itself is derived from a long life of observing plants and the way they respond to different kinds of treatâ€" ment 1 made a list of some of the things he taught me about farming and looking at the list, I realized that it would be an excellent list to give someone who wanted to le some things about raising kids." Irvine went on to describe some of the things Jack taught him: ‘é' Don '1 use poor quality reed. Seeds are like values - make sure your values are of the best quality and do wh atever you can to discover and nurture them before you invest a lot of energy cultivating them in your children. A term! a] successful gardening is having prepared the rail. It is the environment you have created in your home that makes the difference as to whether your children will thrive. "9‘ The [unit that holdfirmertare the alter that dove up their awn mots. We must resist overprotecting our children and let them develop their own indeâ€" pendence. “K? Excessive waleringprodttt‘es weakness, not strength. Children, like plants. thrive on a certain amount of struggle to earn their own “stuff.” It is through this struggle that they leam responsibility. 3' In spite of our best ejfarts, sometimes same plant: wil not turn out as you expect. We can instill our values, create a nurturing environment and establish firm and fair boundaries, but ultimately how childre. “turn out” has a lot to do with their individ ality and uniqueness.