by Brian Russell

“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails
to always reach my destination.” -Jimmy Dean

It was 2002 when I was given the opportunity to facilitate my very first fathers’ group.  It was at the LAMP Community Health Centre in Toronto, ON.  Those were the early days of the Father Involvement Initiative – Ontario Network (which was to become Dad Central Ontario in 2010).  I joined the FII-ON steering committee and spent a couple years listening to others talk about fatherhood, watching people try to develop programs and resources and services, and weighing in with my two cents as I could.  But by 2006 I was helping to develop curriculum and was becoming more involved in training and community development of fatherhood initiatives across the province.  In 2008 I took on the role of Provincial Coordinator, which I have been in until today.

And today is my last day.  It is time for DCO to adjust to the direction of the wind.  It is time for new leadership, new connections, new ideas.

There are so many things I could share as I leave my role, but I will focus on three.

What I have learned:

1. Involved fatherhood matters to people.  People passionately care about fathers being part of their children’s lives.  They see the value men bring to child development and want to support and encourage it.
2. There are lots of great people doing so many great things for fathers with very little resources.  These people are creatively responsive to the needs of fatherhood.
3. Fathers care passionately about their children.  In 2002 I had been a father for 6 years.  It was a time when there was not much talk about fatherhood and there were next to no programs or services.  But more significantly there was very little social dialogue about fatherhood.  No one asked me about my thoughts of fatherhood.  Nowadays it is much more common for people to engage in conversations about fatherhood.

What I see:

1. More financial support for father resources and programs is needed.  We still get 2-3 emails a week from dads across Canada asking for help finding local resources.  And it is difficult to find adequate support for many of these men.
2. There is a growing network of people talking about fatherhood.  So even though it can be difficult to find support, we are all trying to do the best job possible with the resources we’ve got.  Keep the conversation going.

What I hope for:

I hope that Canada becomes a country where the hearts, minds, and intentions of all fathers are turned in significant ways to their children and that the same happens for the children turning to their fathers.  This is good for families, for communities, and for the country.

So I leave you in good hands.  Drew Soleyn is the new face of Dad Central Ontario.
He has great leadership experience as a career coach, a teacher, a strategic planner, and a marketer.  He also has been developing connecteddads.ca as a way of providing support and encouragement to fathers.  But most importantly he is married and a father to three young kids who he loves dearly.

 

I look forward to the next decade as Dad Central Ontario continues it’s role of supporting and encouraging men who are raising the next generation.

It’s been a pleasure to have served and learned from many of you.  Thank-you to everyone who has made my experience at Dad Central Ontario so rewarding.