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Focus on Fathers - September 2010

Local program to strengthen dads and families
By Mike
Strzelecki
President
Barack
Obama has
voiced his
special
interest in
fatherhood
and just
recently
launched
The
Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative to
encourage individuals, especially fathers, to be
involved in the lives of their children, and to be
positive role models and mentors for the
children in their lives and communities.
For inspiration, he might look to Baltimore.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services and administered by the
Baltimore City Department of Social Services,
the Strong Fathers/Strong Families Project is
one of the citys most innovativeand
successfulprograms addressing the critical
role of fathers in their familys lives.
The state of Maryland is proud to once again
be at the forefront of the fatherhood movement,
boasts Johnny Rice II, director of the Office of
Grants Management at the Maryland
Department of Human Resources, which
provides oversight of the Strong Fathers
program.
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We continue making a difference in the lives of

children and their fathers through our fatherfocused programs, he explains. Baltimore City,
in particular, has a long history of helping men
become better fathers.
The Strong Fathers/Strong Families program
encourages men to develop healthy
relationships with their families and with others
in their communities through a series of training
workshops and counseling sessions. Training
classes cover topics such as Relationship
Enhancement and Healthy Marriage, GED and
Educational Counseling, Parenting and Life
Skills, Conflict Resolution and Anger
Management, and Domestic Violence
Prevention. In the Economic Stability workshop,
participants are coached on how to conduct a
job search and are provided a crash course in
resume writing and interviewing skills, including
how to dress.
Since starting in the fall of 2008, hundreds of
Baltimore-area men and women (while being
father-focused, the program is not limited to
men) have successfully graduated from the 12week program. It completed its eleventh cycle
this past June.
Strong Fathers/Strong Families has offered
men and couples a safe atmosphere to grow
and be challenged without being critical or
judgmental, notes Rice. The project is
equipping men with the necessary tools to
negotiate conflict and, at the same time, placing
them on the path to becoming better husbands
and fathers.
Our post-project surveys clearly reflect that
participants show more favorable attitudes
toward parenting and child rearing, conflict
resolution, the roles of mother and father, and
communication skills, he explains. When
couples commit themselves to healthy
relationships and fathers lead their families,
communities are changed for the better.
Strong Success Story
Baltimore resident and father Dwayne Tolbert,
27, completed the Strong Fathers program this
past June.
I struggled with everyday situations like
communication and finances, says Tolbert. I
had a willingness to improve my situation and
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was just looking for that first step.

Tolbert declares his experience a success. At
the sessions close, he was recognized with a
plaque for the exceptional leadership skills he
had developed.
There are three ways of looking at things,
Tolbert says. Theres your side, the other side,
and then theres the truth. Strong Fathers helps
you find the truth of the matter. It teaches you to
look at the situation as a whole.
According to Rice, as a result of the program,
Tolbert now enjoys a stronger relationship with
his childs mother. Tolbert also displays greater
self-confidence and has learned to market
himself and conduct a successful job search.
Before participating in the program, Dwayne felt
most comfortable in one area of Baltimore,
says Rice. Now, he is expanding his comfort
level and exploring new opportunities
throughout Baltimore and the surrounding
counties. He's now willing to venture out into the
unfamiliar.
Adds Tolbert: The program put success in my
mind. It was very inspirational. It taught me that
the sky is the limit.
Rice contends that society pays a high premium
when young fathers can't or don't find their way
to embracing their parental responsibilityand
that it can reap great rewards when they do.
We all benefit when men take a second look at
fatherhood and raising their families, he says.
But when fathers and their partners develop
healthy marital relationships at home and in the
community, it is the children who benefit
immensely.
Rice is optimistic about the future of the Strong
Fathers/Strong Families program, especially
with the Obama administration placing a high
priority on fatherhood programs. He says that
increased funding for the program has already
been earmarked for the 2011 fiscal budget.
Here in Maryland, our goal is to build on the
success that we have already experienced,
says Rice. With increased federal funding, we
hope to provide a statewide approach to
working with fathers and families. BC
For more information on Maryland's Strong
Fathers/Strong Families program, visit the
website
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www.dhr.state.md.us/fatherhood/strong.php.
Baltimores Child Inc. September 2010

http://baltimoreschild.com/articles/index.cfm?fuse1=detail&ArticleID=1695

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