THE NATIONAL RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD MENTORING AND TRAINING ACADEMY

With financial support from the National Institute of Children’s Healthy Quality’s Healthy Start Technical Assistance Center, NPCL is implementing The National Responsible Fatherhood Mentoring and Training Academy.

Overview

The responsible fatherhood field is at a critical juncture in its history and needs new leaders to emerge that build upon the four decades of lessons learned.

The elders of our nation's fatherhood field who are either nearing retirement age or have recently retired must step up and do the necessary things to continue moving the field forward.

The wisdom and insights of fatherhood legacy leaders are invaluable and should be leveraged rather than recreated from scratch.

WHY A RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD MENTORING PROGRAM?

Mentoring relationships are

intergenerational, characterized by the voluntary assumption of responsibility for members of the next generation. (Erik Erickson: "The impulse to pass on values, culture, and lifeblood to the next generation").

A mentoring training academy is a great way to address the needs of emerging leaders in the field of responsible fatherhood.

Mentoring is a development-focused relationship in which a mentor passes on relevant skills and experience to a mentee. A mentoring program adds structure to this relationship by making it goal-oriented and time-bound. The program also creates built-in accountability to raise the likelihood of achieving measurable outcomes in a short amount of time. 

Mentoring programs come with many benefits. Studies show that mentoring can improve an individual’s confidence in handling challenges, increase work satisfaction, get people proficient in their roles faster, and boost career ambition. 

Research has also concluded that a close relationship between mentor and mentee is the "active ingredient" that makes mentorship work. The common wisdom was that it takes time, often months, for a mentor/mentee relationship to "gel." However, recent studies show that close relationships can positively impact stated outcomes for the mentee in a month or two. 

 

Fatherhood Legacy Leaders

Fatherhood legacy leader candidates will be mentors to emerging fatherhood leaders. Specifically, these fatherhood legacy leaders will have demonstrated proven leadership in advancing fatherhood in research, policy, practice, and other related fatherhood matters for ten or more years and not less than five years. All fatherhood legacy leaders participating as RFMA mentors will summarize their experiences in a bio that will be publicized and promoted to match interest with prospective RFMA mentees.

Legacy leaders will mentor one (1) emerging leader/practitioner annually. Legacy leaders will also determine how much they will continue with RFMA in subsequent years.  Legacy leaders will have one 90-minute remote session per month for six months.

RFMA Participants/Mentees

 RFMA mentees will be identified and recruited through various methods, such as personal referrals and online promotions. Mentees will be people with a demonstrated interest in connecting and being mentored by a fatherhood legacy leader. Mentees will be guided in their instruction in lessons by the fatherhood legacy leader.

The fatherhood legacy leader and mentee will also establish their remote meeting schedule. There will be a fee associated with the fatherhood legacy leader mentorship. These costs are associated with the administration, scheduling, and coordination of legacy leader and mentee remote sessions and the recording and dissemination of sessions.

Mentees are required to participate in all sessions, provide appropriate feedback, and complete evaluation forms after each session.

 

Responsible Fatherhood Mentoring and Training Academy Mentee Application

 
 

A job description for RFMA legacy leaders, which includes the primary duties and responsibilities of the RFMA mentoring process, is described below.

  • Title: Responsible Fatherhood Legacy Leader

    Purpose: To provide mentees with knowledge and support n in sustaining a positive legacy of responsible fatherhood in the areas of policy, research, and practice 

    Duties:

    Provide subject matter expertise and knowledge through a remote learning session.

    Support mentees through an ongoing, one-to-one relationship.

    Serve as a positive role model and friend.

    Strive for mutual respect.

    Build self-esteem and motivation.

    • Activities could include talking and listening to the career goals of mentees in sustaining the legacy of responsible fatherhood efforts.

    Time Commitment:

    • Ninety minutes per month for six months

    • Attend scheduled legacy leader remote meetings

    Qualifications:

    A willing to share their lived experience and subject matter expertise.

    A willing listener

    Encouraging and supportive

    Patient and flexible

    Tolerant and respectful of individual differences

    Committed to the relationship and time required.

 
 

  • The real value of mentoring is often not fully understood until you have personally experienced it; the benefits available to mentees include:

    • Increased self-confidence

    • Increased self-awareness

    • Develop strong communication skills.

    • Growing a personal network within the responsible fatherhood field

    • Exposure to new and different perspectives

    • Learn to self-reflect.

    • Improve goal setting.

    • Learn from other’s experiences.

    • Learn to ask good questions.

    • Being supported by someone

    • Fulfillment through contribution to sustaining a positive legacy of the responsible fatherhood and families’ field.

    • Satisfaction in helping someone mature, progress, and achieve goals.

    • Better understanding of people interested in a career in the responsible fatherhood and families field.