Online Parental Training Academy for Black Fathers
Classes Scheduled to Start in the Fall 2019
Welcome to our online Black Fathers Academy. This part of our Academy is new and starts in the Fall of 2019. Black fathers can access live and or prerecorded parenting classes and presentations from their home or anywhere there is an internet connection. This means that nearly all of our black fathers training programs will be available online,in the Fall of 2019. All lesson material will be accessible online to participants,there will be live training material instructors, certified by us, facilitating the training models. We will also use live video conferencing,and other means to deliver our lessons plans, via online access, to black fathers around the country and around the world. This is the first of its kind for Black fathers,having culturally competent fatherhood training online.
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Start a Polit Program in Your City
ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of African American Fathers is about strengthening fathers through the introduction of new skills, thoughts and possibilities, that will allow a significant change to take place in their lives and in the lifestyle choices of the participants.
MISSION OF THE ACADEMY
Our mission is like every other mission of practitioners around the country, who operate fatherhood programs and initiatives.
We too want to change the negative consequences of the Black fathers, that directly affects their abilities to be a responsible parent and a meaningful father figure.
OUR MISSION POINTS
To create a new opportunity for practitioners, agencies and organizations to develop a more meaningful program that will allow a better understanding of Black parenting parenting responsibilities, from a "cultural" perspective.
To foster positive changes in the attitudes towards parental responsibility and accountability.
To foster change in the negative consequences of Black families by assisting and introducing new commitments and alliances with programs and agencies that service fathers and their families for a more friendly experience.
To Foster change in the mindset and thinking of Black fathers,those that suffer negative consequences,through their changed lifestyle choices.
THE ACADEMY IS UNIQUE AND WHY
We are unique because;
We approach Black parenthood from a cultural perspective, therefore, we believe that parenting programs should reflect the cultural aspect of the participants in the program.
We focus on the mindset of the individuals,not just the social aspect of parenting, which could bring a positive change in the way fathers of color view their responsibilities in general.
WE ARE UNIQUE AND WHY
We are a program that is culturally grounded in our instructor trainings ,instructors skills,experience and lesson plans, to fortify our participants in the Academy programs and to give them a better knowledge of self. We build upon their motivation and desire to change.
We help develop the skills of Black fathers, in order that they may gain a better understanding of the true meaning of fatherhood and reap the benefits of becoming a responsible parent.
WE ARE UNIQUE AND WHY
We are an African American cultural based program, with culturally based lesson plans and skills, coming from the legacy of African American experiences of parenting.
Our instructors and trainers are African American, with the legacy and knowledge of the Black family life experiences.
Lessons Learned
Programs Fail when they refuse to recognize that parenting is cultural in nature!
COMPARE CULTURAL PROGRAMS TO NON-CULTURAL PROGRAMS
In cultural competent fatherhood programs, participants have like kind experiences and can relate to each others issues and ethnic related challenges.
Trainer and instructors are fathers and sons and have had the same and or like kind experience as a parent, faced with the same challenges as their participants.
In non cultural programs; Participants vary in background and their parenting style varies from culture to culture, making it complicated for anyone to participate or relate to each others challenges.
Trainers vary and therefore relating to each participants experience and challenges are limited and therefore ineffective to assisting all perspectives.
COMPARE
Unique problems can a have main theme and focus, because there are issues common to all participants.
Each participate can address concerns that everyone can relate to, focus on the challenges of those issue, in a more meaningful way, that allows each one to teach one , giving credence to possibilities and solutions.
There is no affective unique focus, other than the responsibility and accountability aspect of parenting, therefore participants are unable to relate to each other.
There may be a disservice to the participants in non cultural bases programs, because it disregards the essence of family life, through the eyes of the participants ,family legacy, denying opportunities to allow the participants to get back to themselves. A radical change in knowledge and understanding is critical to acceptance of change and the successfulness of the individual as a person.
OPPORTUNITY
The Academy of African American Fathers, has opportunity for black fathers to grow and prosper! The benefits are endless and the possibilities are infinite!
Everyone benefits from change,as the saying goes "people make communities..communities don’t make people"(unknown author).
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE
The #1 person(s) who suffering negative consequences, that affects his whole family and lifestyle.
Getting to our Legacy of Parenting
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
African American men;
took care of their children with little or nothing, going as far back as slavery and even before slavery. However, systems were put in place, coupled with other factors, caused African American fathers to become disconnected from family values,which depended on their support and participation. In a sense,the responsibility was replaced by a more seemingly reliable source of support,government assistance for families in need…the state sponsored welfare system,than reform of that system ,further destroyed black families as we knew tham.
THE ECONOMIC FACTOR
Most of the African American Fathers in need of services are low income, unemployed, unemployable and without the skills that would allow them to feed a family.
With the cost of living going up everyday the challenge to keep at a trailing pace seems insurmountable and therefore motivation is lacking. Nobody is planning or thinking about buying a home or going to college, or sending their children to college, if that person don’t have the skills to command a salary that supports their theory.
What other economic factors are there? The list is very long, however, criminal background, lack of knowledge and the lack of earning living wages are major!
THE SOCIAL FACTOR
When a father is unable to provide for his children, for whatever the reason may be, his attitude towards that responsibility is not positive. He do not feel sufficient and, in most cases, his attitude towards any kind of responsibility, whatever or wherever it may be, is affected.
He removes himself from that situation to relieve himself from the pressures that follow from the mother of those children , from his children, and the agencies that enforce child support,or the financial obligation of the his responsibility.
He is then labeled ,misunderstood, incarcerated and in some cases loses his parental rights over his children, furthering his disconnectedness. Even those who are supportive of their children in every possible way feel the affects of unsupporting fathers when they face legal consequences ,due in part to misinformation about African American men and their children by providers and the legal systems.
THE LEGAL FACTOR
Congress, states and local towns and the laws that govern family life has "failed"! Most don’t have a clue as to the "real issues" and they only seek to compensate and satisfy through a monetary means. There are those who believe that parenthood can be "forced" upon an individual.
Incarcerating a father who fails to provide we believe is nonsense! These agencies, because they lack a sufficient plan that is viable and available to their disposal, try to force fathers to do something lots of them have never experienced;foster a child.
Some even have been abandoned themselves by their own father. They are simply a product of their own lack of direction and role model of being and having a supportive male parent or male figure in their life.
THE CONSEQUENCES
As a consequence the government, federal, state and locals are upset and unfriendly with those who they feel are not producing. The law’s main function and concern is financial in nature and in the best interest of the child, therefore everything else has less importance.
The court is bogged down with litigation and enforcement, sending those to jail who do not comply, even if they are unable, and setting bad law that works against change.
Unfairly, the negatives are highlighted and any positive goes unmentioned,due in part because it is about "money" and not all the non monetary efforts one may have made to support his children are considered for highlighting.
The court needs some new direction and an opportunity to get it right in the best interest of the children and the best interest of families and the communities at large.
African American men, in particular, are more likely to be incarcerated for something other than "trying to support their children". They are frustrated by the systems that they don’t understand.
They are unable to understand why they don’t understand and they act according to how frustrated they are about themselves and the plight of most men in their peer groups.
They continue to face incarceration, violence committed against each other, lack of motivation and self-esteem, lack of confidence, domestic violence, gang warfare, police misconduct, family disconnect, drug and alcohol abuse, health issues, misinformation and finally a program not possessing nor having the ability to address their real needs to be themselves again!
THE CHANGE OF COURSE
In order to change we must first accept.
Acceptance comes after understanding.
Understanding comes from being properly informed about the facts of the matter and the truth of the matter.
Truth comes about by way of being just and fair about what is and what is not.
Fairness comes from those who see things for what they are and act accordingly.