Cristian Franco
Founder of Growing up Together
Hello! My name is Cristiana and I am the founder of Growing up Together, which officially opened to the world in July 2022 - but in fact its creation started in 2015, when I became a mother. And what a long and profound journey of (self)discovery it took to get here...
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It took me several years of my life to graphic design and business to realize that despite the vast skills I've gained, I didn't feel happy or fulfilled. I had to become a mother to remember and embrace my passion for social-emotional education and my deep enchantment and respect for childhood, and I had to face all the challenges and doubts that motherhood brings, to conclude that it was time to review all my concepts, my expectations and most importantly (re)educate myself.
Before I found myself I was completely immersed in the world of Positive Parenting and Education, Mindfulness, Non-Violent Communication, Emotional and Social Intelligence - several courses and certifications later I realized it was my mission and passion to (re)educate this further - to other mothers, fathers, families, professionals and educational communities.
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Today, 8 years after completely changing the course of my life and embracing this mission that moves me so much, I am happy to help, inspire and guide change processes on a daily basis - and nothing, absolutely nothing compares to the feeling to be aligned with what we feel is our mission.
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I believe we can change the world by the way we raise our children. But how can we do it? That's exactly where my work comes in and that's how Growing up Together is born - a training and counseling space for families, which aims to foster more positive lives and more meaningful relationships.
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Growing Up Together
Spreading the principles and practices of positive parenting is the ultimate goal of Growing up Together. A project born from within, from a growing missionary spirit, from an immense desire to touch parents, educators and education professionals and positively change the way they raise, guide and interact with their children.
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At Growing up Together, we believe we can make the world a better place through the way we raise our children and youth - by breaking the cycle of traditional, punitive and authoritarian education, the effects of which are now extensively researched and properly are proven by neuroscience. But this change can only happen if we focus on our own (re)education first, so that we can parent in a more informed, constructive and empathetic way.
Positive parenting has little or nothing to do with knowing how to handle children. Parenting is about PARENTS and the ANSWERS they want to give.
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This is exactly my goal: to support parents and professionals in their process of awareness, looking inward and outward at the same time, welcoming the children they once were and the educators they are now, with a new vision. , combined with effective tools that are not limited to theory that gets lost in the hustle and bustle of the day.
Let's grow and change the world?