Elements of Engagement

Studies show that if your child's father is affectionate, supportive, and involved, he can contribute significantly to his son's cognitive, language, and social development, as well as academic achievement, a high inner core resource, a sense of well-being, good self-esteem, and authenticity (Gross, 2014)

Parenting

• Aligning the support needed to assist in the delivery of their personal experiences.
• Taking on this role seriously with the desire and power to learn and develop healthy, positive skills and relationships.
• Mentor, coach, and provide guidance on how to become a successful adult.
• Be supportive during challenging times by offering age-appropriate, structured activities in a nurturing environment.

Leadership

• Develop one's direction, guidance, self-confidence, and power to make effective changes.
• Create valuable and positive change with the end goal of developing leaders that will enhance the motivation, morale, and performance of followers.
• Provide opportunities to develop an understanding of rules by engaging in activities that rely on chance rather than on skills such as cards, dominoes, and tic-tac-toe.
• Learn from what you did to solve the problem and evaluate the merits of each possible solution.

Coaching

• Cultivate responsive relationship needs as they relate to the growth and plight of achievement.
• Reinforce the understanding of right and wrong and consequences as you learn to gradually share the control of life.
• Be open-minded and recognize your role in strengthening everyone's competency.
• Engage in conversations, ask questions, listen to new ideas, and demonstrate understanding.

Elements of Transformation

• Structured Learning Experiences: for middle- and high-school-aged boys.
• Fathers and sons will take part in “Structured Learning Experiences” (SLE), which means an experiential, supervised, in-depth learning experience designed to offer fathers and their sons the opportunity to more fully explore life lessons and personal interests within one or more settings.
• Collaboration and Partnership: with community organizations to inform and support project objectives for fathers and sons.
• Fathers and sons will build collaborative partnerships in the community that will embrace their ideas and actions by consenting to share resources to accomplish mutual goals, relying on participation in a manner that builds up and cares for one another.
• Expanded Horizons: monthly excursions intended to open the minds of fathers and sons to more significant opportunities.
• Fathers and sons will be exposed to a higher activity of learning: colleges and universities, governmental operations, business engagements, and community events, so that they together become aware of social and educational resources and options.
• Training and workshops: offer a focused examination of the father and son's personal and social challenges that can lead to self-confidence, positive social and emotional behaviors, and empowerment.
• Fathers and sons get into action, practicing behaviors and styles of communication that augment their growth and inspire them to reach beyond their perceived limits.
• Annual Retreat: includes team-building, self-esteem enhancement, developmental, and recreational activities.
• Fathers and sons will plan and gather together to participate in four (4) individual events that will have endured in-depth evaluation and discovery of their identity. We do this through outdoor adventure outings, service learning projects, sports and recreation, and educational study.

Program Goals

• Individualized Consideration
• mentor listens and attends to the girls’ concerns and needs. The mentor gives empathy and support, keeps communication open, and places challenges before the girls.
• Intellectual Stimulation
• mentor challenges assumptions, takes risks, and solicits girls’ ideas. Mentors stimulate and encourage creativity in their girls. They nurture and develop girls to think independently as well as collectively.
• Inspirational Motivation
• A mentor articulates a vision that is appealing and inspiring to girls. A mentor inspires, motivates, and challenges girls with high standards, communicates optimism about future goals, and provides meaning for the task at hand.
• Idealized Influence
• A mentor acts as a role model for high ethical behavior, instills pride, and gains respect and trust. The mentor provides the energy that drives a group forward. The visionary aspects are supported by communication skills that make the vision understandable, precise, powerful, and engaging for the girls.