Successful programs help young fathers develop the behaviors and assume the responsibilities common to committed parents by providing them with emotional support and useful services. Reflecting the current position of the Democtratic government, program goals indicate a shift in the orientation of many agencies: from solely attempting to secure child support payments to helping youth acquire fatherhood skills and increase their earning ability. Programs now seek to demonstrate that there are benefits to accepting the responsibilities of fatherhood as well as obligations.



Effective counselors acknowledge the limitations of adolescent attitudes and economic realities. Possibly, they must transcend their own negative view of young fathers, based on stereotypes: they are "super studs" with only fleeting relationships with the mother, financially irresponsible, and uninterested in fatherhood.

I. COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Our program assumes that fathers want to be involved. To find prospective participants, we urge mothers to supply names, encourage the youth's parents to recruit them fathers, and go to neighborhood places where youth congregate (e.g., basketball courts). Fathers already involved with their children are recruited at birthing centers, clinics, and preschools.

We will talk about the benefits of the program, give fathers practical help at the outset, and arrange attractive, structured father-child activities. Promises of our services also help fathers to enroll: legal advice about paternity issues, empowering information about the birth process and meeting infant needs, sex education counseling and personal medical care, and mediation that leads to successful co-parenting. Offering new fathers a safe and supportive place to talk about their children and other concerns, and suggesting that program participation may give them added credibility with their children' mothers, are other recruitment strategies.

Establishing trust in the program helps fathers overcome their possible fear of authority and legal responsibilities, and negative and fatalistic beliefs. Thus, we are honest and clear about all the ways a child benefits from having an involved father and also about how hard, but uniquely satisfying, fathering is. It is beneficial for this outreach to share, or be familiar with our members' cultural background. One effective strategy is for the first (if not all) contact to be made by another teen father who can speak from experience. Older men who have overcome the difficulties of early parenthood also recruit effectively.



I. SERVICES

EDUCATION. It is crucial to help fathers get as much education as possible. Thus, we will need to act as advocates if school personnel encourage them to leave. If fathers want to drop out of school, we can foster persistence by building fathers' confidence that they can succeed, helping them get a job that will not interfere with schoolwork, and securing tutoring. Fathers who have already dropped out are very much referred to in our program. High school graduates are encouraged to enroll in higher education as a way of increasing their long-term career and economic prospects and helping them model educational achievement for their children.

PARENTING EDUCATION. As they explain why a father's involvement is crucial to a child's development, we will also teach how fathers can help their children develop cognitively, socioemotionally, and physically. Equally important, we help fathers develop strategies for controlling their anger when their children misbehave and for constructively disciplining the children. Many audiovisual aids are available to demonstrate good fatherhood practices.



CAREER DEVELOPMENT. We help fathers find short-term employment to meet their child support obligations; make long-range career plans; and enroll in training programs for basic skill traning. It may be necessary to provide a crash course in job-seeking and job-training skills. Fathers of color may need help in overcoming negative attitudes which, while based on historical experience, impede their chances for employment success now.

COUNSELING. This program would help youth clarify their feelings about impending fatherhood and assuming adult responsibilities early. To help fathers feel less isolated, we provide a place for sharing feelings, asking questions, and identifying commonalities within the group. We also help them develop a mature definition of masculinity so they can enjoy a healthy relationship with a woman and defer fathering additional children.

III. SCHOOL STRATEGIES FOR FATHERS

Not many schools have comprehensive programs for teenage young fathers. And so, we encourage mothers to identify and involve fathers in their children's lives and to recruit them for father programs such as ours. They may invite fathers to some programs for mothers too.

We enable fathers to continue their general education, offer them parenting courses, and facilitate their efforts to find part-time work and make career plans.