VAN NUYS : Group Teaches Young Men Fathering Skills
A nonprofit family support organization in Van Nuys is seeking volunteers to start a new program to help young fathers learn parenting skills.
The Young Dads program at Friends of the Family will help fathers ages 15 to 25 connect with their children, become confident in fathering roles and learn responsible sexual behavior, said project coordinator Lee Law.
Law said Young Dads will be more than a peer support group for young dads.
“The program will span a period of two years. We hope to see these young fathers making positive changes in their lives over the course of the two years, and see them well on the road to doing things positively in their lives. We want to help them become gainfully employed, finish high school, maybe matriculate into colleges or start vocational training.”
Those interested in serving as role models and program facilitators first must be interviewed and trained, Law said.
“The facilitators we’re looking for are people who have walked in the same shoes as these kids, who themselves were young dads and can empathize with them, tell them, ‘Life doesn’t end there. You can still be a part of your kid’s life. It goes beyond just paying child support.’ ”
For more information, call (818) 988-4430.
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