October 6–8, 2004, National Public Health Institute, Prague, Czech Republic
Not just another conference.
By Marian van Hofslot.

It was the 5th annual seminar in the Czech Republic organized by Dr. Marcela Rozehnalová, chairman of CEVAP (Center for Ethical Education and Social Pathology Prevention). Over the past 5 years one of the main activities of CEVAP has been to teach the Free Teens Program. It was especially meaningful to have Richard Panzer, founder and director of the Center for Educational Media/Free Teens USA and author of the Free Teens Living in the Age of AIDS/Deciding your Future program, the 'RQ-Relationship Intelligence' curriculum and the Preventing Violence book & powerpoint presentation, coming over from the US to speak. The RQ - Relationship Intelligence curriculum has been evaluated as one of the three best marriage preparation programs in the U.S. by the Institute for American Values (www.americanvalues.org).

The National Public Health Institute conference hall was an ideal setting for the 120 people attending, which included 113 school teachers and educational professionals, most of whom were Czech, but with a few from Slovakia, the Netherlands, and Germany.

The first lecture by Doc. PhDr. Ji í Pelikán, CSc.–Philosophical Faculty-Pedagogic, Prague, was on 'Family influence on the personalities of children,' in which he in depth explained how family dynamics affect the development of children and gave some of the following advice: Parents shouldn't fight in front of their children; parents should come to an agreement and present the same point of view to their children; not only teach children by words, but by being a living example; the family is a mini world; a world in which we help each other to take responsibility and show each other how to solve problems.

The same morning Richard Panzer presented part two of the RQ-Relationship Intelligence powerpoint presentation, in which he explained about 5 dimensional sexuality, stages of attraction and intimacy and of male-female bonding.

In the afternoon the lectures were continued by MUDr. Lubomír Hadaš – Medical Faculty of Charles University Prague, on Male/female identity, masculine and feminine roles in the family and their effect on the development of a child’s healthy personality. Some of the topics and themes included: why cruelty can be rooted deeply in human nature; in order to overcome one must not only find the cause, but work to help the person find his/her identity; the differences between the male and female worlds; is raising children more important then a career?; the differences between boys and girls; children need both male and female examples.

In the last lecture that day Richard Panzer continued part two of RQ-Relationship Intelligence, about 5 stages in a relationship according to the Relationship Attachment Model developed by Dr. John Van Epp. These stages are directly related to one another, and must be developed in a specific order, and must be kept in balance. These stages of bonding are 1. Knowledge of each other, 2. Trust, 3. Reliance, in which they develop a healthy emotional interdependence, 4. Commitment, public and private, and 5. Sexual Intimacy.

On the second day PaedDr. Zden k Martínek, Pedagogico-psychological Institution, Pelhrimov, spoke about Crimes and persecution of schoolmates at school. Some of the topics explained in detail were 'Bullying'; the actions and responses of the aggressor, the victim, of parents and schoolteachers; physical and mental ways of bullying; why young people become aggressive; how to handle aggressive students; why some students allow other students to bully them; how to recognize a student who is being bullied; teachers who mentally bully other teachers, students and parents.

The second lecturer was a Prague Police Department captain, Kpt. Bc. Zden k Smola, Police Presidium, CR, who spoke on crimes committed by and on youth and why private information about students must not be made public; how schools should contact the police in case there are violent students at school; why police should have regular contact with schools, hospitals, and other community institutions; how teachers can help students during a trial; the rules for the police in case they have to enter a school; and the rise of young violent crimes in the Czech Republic.

In the afternoon Richard Panzer gave a presentation on Preventing Violence; discussing school shootings in the US; risk factors and warning signs for youth violence; protective factors in the family that reduce youth violence, and the unique roles played by the mother and the father; the brain chemistry behind violence; masculine identity and violence; and effects of violence in electronic media.

The last lecturer that day was Mgr. Viktor Sekyt, Interresortal committee office for gypsies’ community, Czech Government office, speaking on The Gypsy community, male and female roles, parental attitudes; He explained about the Romanov Gypsies, a large community in the Czech Republic, that returned after being persecuted during WW2. About their family life in which the grandparents play the central role; their strong hierarchy, and strong family traditions.

On the last day of the conference, Dr. Ludmila Lázniková, gynecologist and working for CENAP in the city of Brno started the day with a detailed presentation on the topic Hormonal contraception and their side effects, problems experienced by teenage users. The second lecture, Alcohol use by teenagers, by PhDr. Ladislav Csémy, Center of Psychiatrics, Prague. Some of the issues he addressed were the high rates of alcohol use in the Czech Republic (the highest in the Europe); social problems/social influence related to alcohol use; tolerant attitudes towards alcohol; and the lack of political will to change the law.

Mr. Richard Panzer presented the last lecture of the conference, part three of RQ-Relationship Intelligence, which covered research about the benefits of being married for men, for women and for their children; why couples who live together have higher rates of infidelity, depression, and divorce if they do get married; why many men don't feel the need to marry in modern society, why many career women realize that business success is not enough; why married men and women have better health, better sex, and less victimization by violence; rates of fidelity within marriage; psychological differences between men and women; predictors of marital success including realistic expectations; positive qualities of personality; acceptance of differences; communication skills; conflict resolution; and religious orientation.

At the end of the conference all 113 participants received a Certificate from the conference organizer and chairman of CEVAP, Dr. Marcela Rozehnalová. Translation was done by Czech students who major in English. They did an excellent job, and said they were particularly interested in the discussions of man/woman relationships in Mr. Panzer's lectures. CEVAP will organize 4 more conferences before the end of 2004.

Marian van Hofslot, (vanhofslot@home.nl ) Free Teens Coordinator in the Netherlands.