How does the portrayal of dads in the media impact kids? March 31, 2010

Join us for the next session of the Hudson Valley Fatherhood Alliance staff development series.

Considering the number of children growing up with fathers absent from their homes, NYS OTDA funded a study to assess the impact media fathers have in constructing children's perceptions of fatherhood.

The study showed that sitcom fathers demonstrate greater guidance, general support and acceptance than do real fathers, indicating the need to provide a forum to explore the complex view of real family life and move away from the often unrealistic portrayal found in the media.

NYS OTDA has released a DVD and training curriculum, Perceptions of Fathers in the Media, In Search of the Ideal Father, to assist service providers in facilitating conversations around a more reality based image of fathers in American society. Ken Braswell will share some of the material from that study and the training curriculum with us this month.

Join us -- This free session is open to human services professionals, the media, fathers, and the general public over age 15, compliments of the Hudson Valley Fatherhood Alliance and the City of Newburgh Youth Bureau --

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

3:00 pm

Perceptions of Fathers in the Media

Presented by

Kenneth Braswell, Director
NYS Fatherhood Initiative

City of Newburgh Recreation Department Activity Center

401 Washington Street

Newburgh, NY

RSVP required: HVFatherhood@gmail.com or 845-883-6060

Meet the OCFS Fatherhood Team

 

Greg Owens, Janice Bibb-Jones, Robert Foulks, & Renee Bradley

On January 21st the Hudson Valley Fatherhood Alliance hosted the Fatherhood Team from OCFS.

The NYS Office of Children and Family Services has a number of initiatives underway to provide resources and incentives for dads -- some dealing with engaging the fathers of the children under their care and others helping teen fathers in their care explore the meaning of fathering.

We expect to see more of these folks over the next year. Robert is working with a group of fathers at the Highland Center which has been in the news lately. Christine has offered to provide a grant writing workshop later this spring.

You can read more about their work on their website.

This workshop is one in a series the Alliance is organizing to help agencies increase focus on strengthening fatherhood within the context of the programs we already offer.

P.S. -- here's a simple strategy that Renee shared. Take lots of pictures of fathers with their children. Many non-custodial fathers have no pictures of themselves with their children and the visual reminder seems to help them re-engage.