Fatherhood will be the topic of conversation during a Tulsa community forum hosted by the Oklahoma State University Center for Family Resilience (CFR) on Thursday, August 7. The CFR, which is housed in the OSU College of Human Sciences, has partnered with the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative to present The Power of Fathers forum at 6 p.m. in the B.S. Roberts room of North Hall on the OSU-Tulsa campus.
The forum will cover topics related to fatherhood, including different forms of father absence, the impact of father absence on children, common notions about father presence, and the economic impact of active fatherhood for Tulsa. Participants will be encouraged to share their experiences, ideas and feedback about fatherhood in the Tulsa community.
“From our perspective, the evidence is clear: active fathers are essential for strong children, strong families, and a strong community,” said Joseph Grzywacz, director of the Center for Family Resilience. “Consequently, the center’s goal for the event is to generate enthusiasm and momentum for a fatherhood movement in Tulsa. We want Tulsa to earn the reputation of ‘a city that values active fathers’ because fathers are essential for a vibrant growing community.”
The discussion will be led by Calvin Williams, director of fatherhood services at Public Strategies, Inc. and co-author of the “On My Shoulders” curriculum.
“’On My Shoulders’ is a strengths-based, experiential curriculum that equips fathers with new tools and skills, and promotes self-awareness and confidence to be effective as the fathers they want to be,” Williams said.
The Power of Fathers forum is open to the public. Leaders from faith, government, philanthropy, education and social service sectors are especially encouraged to attend.
“I expect people who attend the forum will be challenged in what they think and know about father absence and father presence,” Williams said. “Ultimately, the idea is to stimulate a conversation about fathers and fatherhood to uncover how best to marshal the community’s spirit and resources to strengthen Tulsa’s children and families by embracing and supporting fathers.”
The Center for Family Resilience and the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative are also planning to hold a training event in September, as part of the Tulsa fatherhood community collaborative. This event will focus on the “On My Shoulders” curriculum and individuals who will serve as facilitators for groups of fathers in the community.
“We hope to begin building momentum for more collaborative and comprehensive fatherhood work down the road,” Williams said.
