This report is intended to summarize the Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit planning, proceedings, related and anticipated outcomes. The planning of the Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit was led by Terence Ray, Coordinator of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative (MFI). Joining Mayor Barrett, as supporters of the summit were Honorary Co-Chairs, Mark Attansaio, Chairman & Principal Owner, Milwaukee Brewers, Ramon Candelaria, Executive Director, Latino community Center, Attorney John Daniels, Quarles & Brady LLP, Fred Jones, President, FMJ Enterprises and Stephen Marcus, Chair, President & CEO, The Marcus Corporation. Moreover, this grassroots collaboration is primarily comprised of various programs and public agencies such as community based organizations, individual stakeholders with an interest or who work with fathers in a variety of settings, and supported by the Wisconsin Division of Health and Family Services and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
Background
The Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit was the result of an October 2005, two-day training in Milwaukee on the Community Mobilization (CM) Model of The National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) and attended by more that 25 community leaders and staff from the NFI. The CM Model is a seven-phase framework used by community leaders to embrace the idea of promoting involved, responsible, and committed fatherhood initiatives in communities. Primary goals of this training included;
• Identifying the needs and assets assessment process;
• How to help plan for a leadership summit on fatherhood and;
• How to assist a community in the development and implementing an action plan on fatherhood
To further the engage the business community in support of the summit, Mayor Barrett, invited Milwaukee business leader’s to the Mayor’s Breakfast, on June 1, 2006, hosted by Potawatomi Bingo and Casino. While invitees were primarily business leaders, the attendees included faith leaders, directors of community based organizations and programs, policy-makes and community members.
Description of the Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit
The Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit was held in Milwaukee at the Holy Redeemer Church, Mother Daniel’s Conference October 13-14, 2006. As the summit theme suggests, “Strengthening Fathers and Families”, the summit provided the opportunity to promote fathers engagement to address and identify key issues regarding male and father involvement in family life, and showcase Milwaukee father and family available resources. The Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit was attended by over 1220 individuals with 98% from Milwaukee and 2% from surrounding areas of Racine, Kenosha and Sheboygan. Of notable interest was the fact that a sizeable number of participants attended due to targeted media campaigns promoting incentives such as the driver’s license recovery and child support penalty and interest reduction.
Program Design
The Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit assisted with the promotion and development of several key objectives designed to further responsible and healthy father involvement through education and community resources. Positive outcomes associated with the summit included highlighting key issues related to father involvement or lack thereof.
Exposure to key issues of interest and concern related to father involvement was based upon; 1) research of father focus groups conducted in comparable neighboring cities and states and; 2) discussions identified by summit planning committee members. The program committee prioritized thirty-three topics and decided to expose summit participants to eighteen identified topics through in-depth summit workshops, a specialized daylong teen father track and one plenary session. Recorders were assigned to workshops to capture dialogue and feedback, of presenters and participants. Summaries of each workshop, data, and workshop evaluations will be compiled by spring 2007 as a guide for advocacy, program development and advocacy for future Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiatives. The MFI is hopeful this guide will also fuel and energize local and state legislative efforts to create a permanent fatherhood infrastructure.
Workshops were designed and delivered to provide participants and opportunity to exchange dialogue and gain in-depth knowledge with program service providers and experts, consumers of fatherhood programs and others with mutual concerns. The two-day summit not only provided an intensive educational opportunity of issues related to father involvement and family life but, strategies to address and overcome negative stigmas of non-custodial fathers.
A Pre-Conference Session on Friday, October 13, 2006, included a reception hosted by Mayor Barrett and attended by 400 community members, including political and policymakers. The Pre-Conference workshops were:
• “A Father’s Motivation”, Tyrone Dumas
• “An African Centered Rites of Passage”, Johnny Fields, Debra Fields
Fourteen specialized summit workshops were provided and conducted in two sessions on Saturday, October 14, 2006. These workshops were very well attended and positively received:
• “Healthy Births: The Importance of the Father Role”, The Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin, Craig Sanders, City of Milwaukee Health Department and Dr. Janie Washington, Aurora Healthcare
• “Father’s of Children in the Welfare System”, Lisa Taylor, Milwaukee Bureau of Child Welfare
• “Overcoming Barriers to Health Care” Teresa Ortiz, Community Advocates, Ken Patterson, Healthcare for the Homeless
• “Building Strong Families through Strong Marriages”, Lynda Jackson, Michael and Joanne Harden,
• “Myths of the Single Father and Co-Parenting”, Pastor Walter Harvey, Minister Darnell Robinson, Parklawn Assembly of God Church
• “Climbing Jacob’s Ladder: The Influence of Religion on Fatherhood”, Dr. William Rogers
• “Getting on the Road to Driving Legally”, Judges James Grambling, Derek Mosley and Valarie Hill, City of Milwaukee Municipal Court
• “Increasing Your Relationship: Smarts-Why it Really Matters”, Dr. Geraldo Vilacruz, Madison Area Technical College
• “Avoiding Baby’s Mama Drama”, Carmen Ray, Pat O’Hara, Ray’s Consulting
• “What Non-Custodial Dads Need to Know”, Lisa Marks, Milwaukee County Child Enforcement, Darryl Simmons, United Migrant Opportunity Services
• “Male Empowerment: What is My Purpose”, Derrick Mosley
• “P.R.O.U.D. Productive, Resourceful, Optimistic, Understanding, Determined”, Todd Beadle, St. Charles Youth and Family Services, Ron Johnson, Private Industry Council, Alphonso Pettis, Rosalie Manor and Family Services
• “Mental Health and Depression”, Dr. Phillip Donnel
• “Helping Fathers Reconnect to Families after Incarceration”, State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections
The one main plenary session was the Fathers Awards Luncheon. Thirteen fathers having met and overcome challenges to be involved fathers were nominated by member agencies of the Milwaukee Fatherhood Collaborative. The keynote speaker was Leonard Pitts Jr., columnist and author of the best-selling book
“Becoming Dad: Black Men and the Journey to Fatherhood.”
During the aforementioned workshops, participants had the opportunity to learn about particular resources or programs and pursue opportunities for further information and training. Already, we have seen the benefits of this approach, such as continued participant follow-thru to resolve child support negligence and the recovery of suspended driver’s license. The MFI anticipates additional momentum will be generated in the public and private sectors as a result of gaps and needs as emphasized as part of the summit.
The Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit concluded with a closing ceremony “A Circle of Strong Fathers.” Summit participants were invited to come to the circle and reflect on the summit and offer insights about fatherhood.
Fatherhood Survey
A twelve question checkbox fatherhood survey to measure the perception of fatherhood was designed by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Center for Urban Initiative and Research, was administered to 400 fathers during lunch. A survey sample of 37% provided a base-line of important concepts that summit participants feel are essential to the growth and development of their children as well as to their roles as fathers. This information has been tabulated and submitted to the data committee headed by Dr. Patricia McMannus, Executive Director of the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin. A complete survey report will be included in the MFI document in spring 2007.
Networking and Collaboration to Promote Father Involvement
The Summit provided additional support to establish a broad-based, grassroots initiative to support father involvement in Milwaukee and surrounding communities through formal and informal networking. Providers and participants both have reported successful employment, educational, and healthcare referrals. The MFI will soon sponsor an ongoing list-serve. Currently the MFI website allows the disseminating of information and links with employment and other resources necessary to strengthen father and family involvement.
Media Public Relations
Mosaic Communications, Inc is a full-service, African American, woman-owned public relations agency, and provided pro-bono marketing and public relations services for the Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit. Mosaic, was key to the success in identifying strategies, and traditional coupled with non-traditional vehicles to publicize the summit. Among those venues were cards that were produced to distribute through barbershops, beauty shops, and other community venues; and inserts for church bulletins, as well as coordinating information about the child support reduction and driver’s license recovery on popular Milwaukee radio stations.
Fund-raising and Finance
Over 100 funding proposals were sent out 4 months prior to the summit. Lack of time, as well as identify recognition of the MFI as a group, or fatherhood as an issue, seriously hampered further fund-raising success. By far, the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin was the largest financial supporter of the summit with a generous donation of $17,500 grant. The remaining grants came from 9 local private and/or corporate sponsors, the State of Wisconsin and private donation. To date, the MFI has operated largely on the basis of in-kind support, from the activities of the Planning Committee, a Breakfast meeting for local business leaders and coordination of publicity for the summit, to the provision of security, speakers and summit logistics.
Final Summary of the Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit
The Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative originated in October 2005. In October 2006, a result of Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit was an overwhelming success in creating awareness, and increasing sensitivity regarding negative stigmas, and credible issues and barriers inhibiting responsible father and family responsibilities. The Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit differed from previous fatherhood conferences, in several ways, but primarily; 1) it was promoted toward consumers of fatherhood programs and the community; 2) workshops were tailored for fathers; 3) immediate referrals were made to accessible resources and; 4) workshops were conducted by Milwaukee fatherhood advocates and outreach workers, and providers.
This summit developed a coalition of persons and organizations around mutual interests and shared visions of strengthening current fatherhood programs by encompassing new partners and new ideas. Yet considerable work lies ahead to build the MFI into a strong organizational structure for targeted, sustained father focused programs. Toward this end, discussion and planning activities have begun in relation to the possibility of providing the Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit II in October 2007.
This summary is graciously submitted by W. Curtis Marshall, Program/Business Chairperson, on behalf of the Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit 2006, Planning Committee.
Back To Top
