DETROIT FATHERS AND FAMILIES COALITION
Inaugral Detroit Fathers & Families Coalition Conference
April 22-23, 2010
Strong Fathers, Strong Families
Samaritan Center in Detroit, Michigan
The Detroit Fathers and Families Coalition mission is to enhance the lives of families by facilitating fathers to connect with and be involved in the lives of their children. DFFC will achieve its mission by educating service providers to so that they are equipped to effectively serve fathers, mothers and children.
The Detroit Fathers and Families Coalition will have as its objective and strategic direction to promote programs that will:
Prevent. Prevent men from having children before they are ready for the financial and emotional responsibilities of fatherhood.
Prepare. Prepare men for the legal, financial, and emotional responsibilities of fatherhood.
Establish. Promote paternity establishment at childbirth so that every father and child has, at a minimum, a legal connection.
Involve. Reach out to men who are fathers, whether married or not, to foster their emotional connection to and financial support of their children.
Support. Actively support fathers in the variety of their roles and in their connection with their children, regardless of their legal and financial status (married, unmarried, employed, and unemployed).
Our vision and programming is based on seven core findings as identified by The National Center on Fathers and Families:
Fathers care—even if caring is not always shown in conventional ways.
The presence of fathers matters—in terms of economic well-being, social support, and child development.
Joblessness is a major impediment to family formation and father involvement.
Existing approaches to public benefits, child support enforcement, and paternity establishment operate to create obstacles and disincentives to father involvement. The disincentives are sufficiently compelling to have prompted the emergence of a phenomenon dubbed "underground fathers"—men who are involved in the lives of their children, but refuse to participate as fathers in formal systems.
A growing number of young, unwed fathers and mothers need additional support to develop the vital skills to share responsibility for parenting.
The transition from biological father to committed parent has significant developmental implications for young fathers.
The behaviors of young parents, both fathers and mothers, are significantly influenced by intergenerational beliefs and practices within families of origin.
These findings offer a context for understanding the challenges faced by many young and adult men who want to become responsible fathers and the foundation on which DFFC programs are established. The Detroit Fathers and Families Coalition is an affiliate of the Fathers and Families Coalition of America.
Membership Development –
- Support members through professional development
- System of mentoring new program agencies
- Sharing of resources and ideas
- Attend national/regional conference
- Set annual goal to recruit 10 new member agencies
Sign Up For Local Membership
ABOUT THE DETROIT AFFILIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Robin Wright King, Executive Director of the Detroit Fathers and Families Coalition affiliate since 2008, created this affiliate as an extension of her passion to impact father absence. An entrepreneur, Robin Wright King owns and operates the Emption Group, a procurement firm located in Southfield, Michigan that supports automotive clients. She holds a B. A. degree from Wayne State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Detroit. The Detroit Fathers & Families Coalition is a non-profit organization with a mission is bring education and other resources to community stakeholders and others involved in empowering fathers and families.
Robin Wright King is also the author of “Papa Was A Rolling Stone: A Daughter’s Journey to Forgiveness”, a touching and compassionate story exposing the painful experience of father absence in America. She describes her account and struggle to understand why the 'first man she wanted to love her' did not. She elegantly articulates the impact of his absence while sharing her journey to forgiveness and the vitally important role that fathers play in the lives of their daughters and their children. She examines this national fatherlessness epidemic and issues a call to action to alter behaviors responsible for 'Baby Daddy's and 'Baby Mama's.
