FAQs

What does Family Enrichment Nederland (FEN) aim for?

The mission of FEN is to provide opportunities to couples, parents and young people to grow as individuals, as spouses and as educators of their children.

Our vision is to foster personal growth and strengthen families by supporting the relationship of spouses and to inspire them to develop their very own personal as well as family plan.

When and by whom was FEN created?

The foundation was created in 2009 by a group of enthusiastic couples who want to fulfill their task as parents as well as possible and want to involve other couples in this.

Does FEN have a commercial purpose?

FEN is a non-profit organization. All tasks within the foundation are performed on a voluntary basis. The same goes for moderators and administrators. The program fee requested from the participants will be used to cover the cost of the materials and the travel expenses of the moderators. For the organisation of extra activities (day for families, purchase of educational literature, special lectures, etc.), FEN asks for support on a project basis from private or government funds.

Does FEN have a religious background?

FEN is non-denominational and open to participants of all religions. The underlying principles of the programmes are in accordance with general Christian values. FEN is based on a natural philosophy (i.e. common sense), which is grounded in the observation and experience of a person.

Who can participate in the workshops?

Since the learning process of FEN is based on the dialogue between man and woman (as a couple) and between the participating couples, it is indispensable that both partners participate in the sessions. This is applicable for all the couples’ workshops of FEN, such as Married Love, First Steps, First Letters, First Decisions.

There are two exceptions: 

1. Personal Project is for young individuals between 18-30 years of age regardless whether they are in a relationship or single. 
2. The training programme for moderators can be followed on an individual basis.

When do the programmes start?

We can start a new programme if a group of at least 10-15 couples is interested in it. The closer they live to each other, the easier it is to meet for the two work sessions of each case (small team sessions and the moderated general session). 

What is the difference between programme and workshops?

One programme consists of 5 cases, which are discussed in separate workshops by the couples. In the workshop, couples gather together and discuss the case following the case study method. Read more on the case study method here.

Where do the workshops take place?

The small team sessions (3-6 couples) are normally held alternating between the homes of different participants, or a suitable public space. Alternatively, they can also be organised online. The general sessions – where all couples participate – are organised in a meeting room of a public space. A moderator, who is usually a specialist in the topic, comes to facilitate this discussion.

Is it necessary to attend all sessions?

It is important that every couple attends all sessions to get the full training.

Please note that the cases are arranged in a logical order to facilitate growth in thinking about relationships or parenting. In case of absence (illness, childbirth, professional trip), participants can contact another participant of the team or their team leader to get a summary of the main points. If it is only one of the spouses who cannot attend one of the sessions, his/her partner may attend on his/her own, however, they should try to attend the rest of the workshop together for the best outcome.

How many cases does a programme have?

The number of cases depends on the programme and varies from five to eight cases per workshop.

How long does a workshop last?

As a rule, each case is treated in two different work sessions of 1.5 hours (a team session and then the general moderated session). The time span between the different cases is determined in consultation with the participants of the workshop. It is often opted to treat a case per month or per month and a half, taking into consideration holiday periods.

In what language are the workshops?

They are either in English or Dutch, depending on the preferences of the participants. However, they are in English most of the times, since participants include non-Dutch speaking expats as well.

Who are the team leaders?

As part of the case study methodology, after reading the case by yourself and discussing it with your partner, there is a small group session with 3-6 couples. Team leaders volunteers from each small team, who agree to organise these team sessions, find a time and place to meet, keep participants informed and make sure the team discussions take place before the moderated sessions.

How does one become a moderator?

Anyone who has completed at least one workshop in full and who wants to dive deeper into a topic can follow a specific training programme for moderators. Once successfully completed, she/he can specialise in a number of cases, which she/he will supervise during the second (general) session. One’s professional background, experience and public speaking skills are taken into consideration when cases are assigned/selected. 

Which couples would appreciate these workshops?

Those who would like to better manage their family life, who would like to learn from the insights and experiences of other parents and who are willing to openly share their own vision with them. A natural consequence of any programme is the creation of many new and valuable friendships among families.

How can I register to participate?

Check on the FEN website which workshop is about to start this year in the Netherlands. There is usually a sign-up form for each workshop. Alternatively, you can email us at familyenrichmentnederland@gmail.com to express your interest in another workshop currently not listed to start. We decide on which workshops to start based on the number of interested participants.