Florence (Italy ), November 7,2013 – A public event in Florence to speak of the Syrian Children and the Children in Syria The event has been in the Oblate Library from 5pm to 8 pm.

" The Price of Freedom " The Syrian Children within the war images

At the Biblioteca delle Oblate, with the sponsorship of the Municipality of Florence and the Province of Florence, the Associazione Consonanze non profit , in collaboration with the Virginia Iorga Onlus - Over the Sky , presented " The Price of Freedom " a video, by the Italian reporter Matteo Rovella for Virginia Iorga Onlus, realized in Syria, in 2013, about children in the Syria's conflict. The speakers of the event have been: Dr. Leonardo Bieber, President of the Cultural Commission of the Municipality of Florence, who introduced the event; Prof. Silvia Guetta, University of Florence, Department of Education Sciences and Psychology; Prof. Carlo Belli, University for Foreigners of Perugia, Mr. MaurizioMartini, Journalist and President of the Virginia Iorga Onlus - Over the Sky; www.overthesky.it Mr. Matteo Rovella reporter Dr. Nicoletta Arbusti, Psychologist and Psychotherapist, for the Associazione Consonanze, who realized the coordination of the event and lectures. www.consonanze.it During the event the singer Daniela Dolce performed traditional music from the

Middle East with her Trio: Elias Nardi,Arabic lute; Daniele Biagini, piano; Emanuele La Pera, percussion instruments. The Prof. Silvia Guetta’s presentation was organized on 4 parts:

1. The meaning of the CRC and of the Child protection with the attention to the right of education in conflict situation

2. The situation and condition of the Syrian Children 3. Children and refugees and the terrible condition of the children who must leave from

Syria and the live in the camps for refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey 4. Teaching and education experiences with regard to the cases that the INEE had

followed. The presentation didn’t want to consider the political aspects, but to reflect on the issues and the dramatic conditions of the children and of them parents, in the Syrian conflict. It is very rare that the public opinion and the media speak about the sufferings, pains, mutilations, injury of the children. And absolutely we don’t read and hear about the denial of fundamental children rights as the live, love, eat, health, security and education. We know well that education has a position very low in the humanitarian actions and that the refugee education is generally of a very low quality. During the presentation the Prof. Guetta has analized the Syrian children conditions, how the conflict is a continued violation of them rights, and that the unique solution is to stop the conflict. Finaly the Prof. Guetta has considered some good practices connected with the INEE activities: the interview of Zeynep Turkman Sanduvac to Jaci Wamberg, INEE Minimum Standards Intern, about her most recent work with a UNICEF Turkey project, the article of Sarah Dryden-Peterson and Maysa Jalbout “In Syria, parents are afraid students will 'lose their future'” and the information available from INEE Bi-weekly Bulletins.

The presentation of Carlo Belli (professor of “International Relations” and of “Peace Building” at the University for Foreigners of Perugia – Italy) was dedicated to “The role of Prenatal Education in Peace Building processes: the perspective of O. M. Aïvanhov”. The lecture of Carlo Belli focuses on the possibilities offered by Prenatal Education (PE) in the process of Conflict Transformation. Carlo Belli analyses the already scientifically verified strict relation between individual and collective violence and prenatal shocks and traumas. The lecture was organized as follows:

1. Clear distinction between Eugenics and PE: the first is an approach whose aim is to artificially select a dominant elite race, with characteristics selected ideologically; the second is a set of rules to assure to every child, regardless its social or ethnic origin, the very best condition during the 9 months of pregnancy, in order to enable each individual to develop to the best of its potential.

2. Historical survey concerning the ancient philosophers that suggested or proposed PE as fundamental method to assure the establishment of peace and social harmony. It is possible to document that PE is already proposed in the VI century b.C., and authors such Confucius, Plato, Aristotle, Leonardo da Vinci, Paracelsus, Steiner, emphasize the importance of PE for individual and social health.

3. Short overview of the most recent scientific studies on PE, all showing the extremely strong correlation between predisposition to violence, psychological disorder and mental disease on one side, and traumas during the prenatal age on the other side. Thus it becomes clear that peace building processes should be planned even considering the importance of PE.

4. Finally, the speaker described the philosophical and spiritual vision of O. M. Aïvanhov, a French-Bulgarian philosopher who attaches to women a crucial role in the evolution of humanity, as with the PE they are in the condition to generate individuals able to express the best qualities of human nature. His intuitions contributed to the creation of several Ngo working in the field of PE. A great number of those Ngo is associated to the OMAEP (World Organization of Prenatal Education Associations) that has Special Consultative Status at ECOSOC, the United Nations Economic and Social Committee. A Foundation dedicated to the study of the thought of Aïvanhov (www.fondazioneomraam.org) launched a project on PE, to spread the knowledge and study of this approach.