« Healing our society »: an event followed live by more than 6,000 participants in 122 cities in France and abroad

The 2016 edition of the Bioethics Conferences, organized by Alliance VITA, gathered more than 6,000 individuals this year in 122 cities to address the theme: “Our society in need of healing, how to act in favor of a culture of life?” The conference ended on Monday February 1, with Tugdual Derville’s speech on the theme “Choose Humanity!” which was broadcast live via you tube.

For the third consecutive year, the Bioethics conferences have been broadcast simultaneously by a live video conference system. More than 6,000 individuals participated at these events in 111 cities in France and 11 cities abroad: Berlin, Brussels, Liege, Luxembourg, London, Rome, Zürich, Lausanne, Mohammedia in Morocco, New York and Quebec. The success of these training sessions indicates that participants have a strong interest in training and in being involved, and they desire to act in favor of cultural changes.

Alliance VITA’s general deputy, Tugdual Derville stated « This year we proposed a personal journey for the participants, giving them the opportunity to modify their implication in society according to their competence, their personal background and their desire. The initial feedback confirms our project’s pertinence; thanks to multiple initiatives our country is started to be ‘clothed in humanization’ in rich and varied forms. It is founded on a solid anthropological basis. The compass which indicates the direction to follow for integral humanism is in fact, expressed by two expressions simultaneously simple yet demanding: ‘each man and all men’, ‘all life-long and the life of all’. In the end, it means working together so that no one be excluded from Humanity.”

The program

One the theme “Our society in need of healing, how to act in favor of a culture of life?” the 4 evenings allowed time for profound reflection:

• The force of personal action ( each one’s  identity, background, capacity, incentive)
  • Humanitarian acts for the most vulnerable;
  • Political action for rights and justice;
  • Worldwide action for a culture in favor of life.
• This program was addressed using Alliance VITA’s specific approach which is enriched on the one hand by the experience of its’ listening services for people confronted with painful situations at the beginning or the end of life, and on the other hand, by its’ awareness-raising effort aimed at the general public and decision-makers. François-Xavier Pérès, Tugdual Derville, Caroline Roux, Henri de Soos, Valérie Boulanger and Dr. Xavier Mirabel shared their analyses and explained their convictions and the way the association acts, with Blanche Streb leading the conferences.

The highlights of these evenings

Adding to their speeches were five experts: philosophers François-Xavier Bellamy, Thibaud Collin and Martin Steffens, accompaniment specialist, Anne Davigo-Le Brun et legal doctor Grégor Puppinck. They clarified several indispensible concepts for action such as trials, bereavement, democracy, natural law, human rights, culture…

Alliance VITA also invited four founders of institutions dedicated to weak or vulnerable people to tell about their itinerary and their outlook on society: Laurent de Cherisey (Simon de Cyrène), Etienne Villemain (Les Maisons Lazare), Christian de Cacqueray (Catholic funeral services) and Jean-Marc Potdevin (Réseau Entourage). The manner that their social innovations were founded and carried out is a valuable source of example and emulation for all of us.

Over 100 experts and witnesses (doctors, university professionals) participated locally in numerous cities at the end of the national sessions, ending each evening with “regional time” to discuss issues on a local level in each town so desiring.

Our last evening’s finale with live coverage

The Bioethics Conferences were widely covered on social media, being at the top of the twitter popularity list for the last 3 evenings. Seeing the success of this unique training session, the last speech was broadcast live via the Alliance VITA Internet site in order to share the bioethical challenges that our society faces today with an even larger public.

Tugdual Derville, thus concluded the session with the subject “Choose humanity!” a crucial challenge, simultaneously both personal and collective, for which Humanity is confronted today.

>> Total: more than 1,200 surfers were connected adding to the 6,000 inscriptions, therefore measuring a 15% increase.

>> To see a ‘replay’ of the live conference

>> To see the photo album of the conference