What are you doing to lead others and to help the community, and what have been the results of your actions?

NewYoungFathers.com helps young fathers become responsible men. In 2005 my uncle Chris Dandridge forwarded me an article about a young fathers in New Jersey who recieved a child support order and decided his only option was to shoot the mothers of his children and take his own life. We both decided that from our personal experience as young fathers he could have made a different decision if he would have just talked to someone who went through his experience. We decided to establish a resource for young fathers under the age of 25. So we produced NewYoungFathers.com an interactive website that can be access by fathers 24/7. We developed Educational DVD's :Choppin it up advice for young fathers, Real Talk - life as a young father, and Child Support Help Part 1 & 2. We hold workshops through out Detroit: Child Support Help, Young father what are you going to do with your life, Respect for Authority and responsible behavior, Young Father Re-entry and more. Additionally, our team has developed a educational handbooks that deal with specific issues young fathers face an reasonable solutions to these issues. We have worked with the Detroit public library, neighborhood centers like Nandi's knowledge Cafe and recently our successful event Daddy's Day at the Detroit Zoo. The results are young fathers who had no parenting skill or positive male example becoming loving, compassionate, willing participants in the lives of their children! We don't claim a father must be perfect but he must be in his children's lives so they can grow and become productive citizens that will make our community more enriched and families stronger. This is the greatest job in the world! Your Brother, Andre' Dandridge, JD CEO

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Brief summary of the community issue or opportunity the project will address:

Children raised without the active involvement of their fathers has had a powerful negative impact on children. Compared to children with both parents at home, children who live apart from their fathers are five times as likely to be poor, more likely to do poorly in school and twice as likely to drop out. Contrary to common stereotypes of low-income urban fathers as disengaged and uninvolved with their children, research indicates that these fathers care about their kids, but may not show their love in conventional ways and sometimes a lack of a job, poor communication with the mom, or even their own childhood experiences can prevent them from getting involved. The "Young Fathers aren’t just wanted they are needed" program addresses the fact that these young fathers (1) need support in playing a meaningful, positive role in the lives of their children and (2) often lack familiarity with and access to informal education resources that fosters a positive view of fatherhood.

State how the project will work – the activities and timeline:

Young Fathers aren’t Just wanted they are needed: is a series of workshops developed to help young fathers under the age of 25 become responsible men. Each workshop will present at least once a month in the Detroit metropolitan area. Workshops include: I. Child support Help: is a free, three hour program for underserved young fathers The program will include a light meal, brief lecture on the Child Support process that includes resources for fathers, viewing of the DVD Child support Help - followed by an interactive panel discussion with attorneys, Child support office employees and individuals who have experience with this process. We will partner with other community organizations to serve as many young fathers as possible. Possible include partners – The Detroit Public Library, WCCCD Eastern campus, Nandi’s Knowledge café, Wayne State University, local churches, Youthville and the Urban Network. II. Choppin it up: Advice for young fathers is a free 3 hour program for young fathers. This program will empower fathers under the age of 25 through the use of educational media and materials that will help young fathers in parenting skills and life building skills. We will view the educational DVD Choppin it up and have a panel discussion that goes over facts in DVD that set standards of fatherhood. III. Young Father: What are you going to do with your life? This 8 part workshop series educates young fathers on everything from conception to college. Young Fathers are introduces to the young fathers code which sets the standard for fatherhood. Guest lectures are brought in to discuss nutrition, budgeting, job training, anger management and other relevant topics for the participating fathers. IV. Young Father and responsible behavior: is a Free 3hour workshop allows young father to define fatherhood themselves and apply the definition in real life situations. This workshop gets up close and personal with the difficulty many fathers have making decisions that theoretically make sense but realistically may be uncomfortable. The workshop location will vary but will all service the city of Detroit.

State the results you wish to achieve:

This project series will result in fathers who are actively working to improve their involvement in their children's lives. Young fathers will be equipped with tools necessary to navigate fatherhood with the least mistakes. These young fathers who are involved in their children's lives will help their children become responsible, productive citizens. This will take the financial and judicial burden off the federal and state government to support the unsupported children. Thus, we will build a strong community and a strong country of men who take responsibility for their children.

Choose the project category or categories:

up to $50,000

Who is leading the project? State the name of the person or the project team:

NewYoungFathers.com team / Advisory board

How will the project engage others in this issue or opportunity affecting the community?

Our workshops will challenge young fathers to set a standard for fatherhood. Once this standard is defined the young fathers will learn how to apply this theory to real life situations. Our workshops allow for experts to teach in areas of expertise. These experts will educate the young fathers and be available to answer questions on: Child Support, family budgeting, custody, job training, housing issues, nutrition, visitation, relationships, education, developing a relationship with children after incarceration, anger management etc. Additionally, we will continue our collaborations with other organizations in the Detroit area and be a resource for any issue that comes up in the life of a young father.