Resource - Who let the dads out?
We want to let you know about this really interesting resource called Who Lets the Dads out. Produced by Baptists in UK
Who Let The Dads Out? is all about creating space where dads and their young children can have fun together and is founded on the Christian principle of wanting to demonstrate God's love to communities. Who Let The Dads Out? comprises the
- Who Let The Dads Out? toddler sessions,
- SODA sessions for 4 to 7 year old children and their dads,
- Daddy Cool! parenting programme,
- Soul Man? discussion group for dads and
- football for dads.
Who Let The Dads Out? toddler sessions are specifically for toddlers and their dads, stepdads, granddads and male carers. They follow the same traditional format as normal parent and toddler sessions. There are toys, craft activities, stories and, if you're brave, even song time, but with a few masculine touches, such as bacon butties and newspapers.
SODA, School's Out, Dad's About, is a special club for dads, stepdads, granddads, male carers and their infant school children. The fun involves a mix of arts, crafts, toys, games and sports.
Daddy Cool! is a 5 session parenting programme specifically for dads and male carers.
Soul Man? is a format through which men can explore basic questions of faith and spirituality.
Who Let The Dads Out? began at HooleBaptistChurch, Chester in March 2003. In March 2012 Who Let The Dads Out? became part of BRF (The Bible Reading Fellowship), a registered charity working throughout the UK. Who Let The Dads Out? is now a core ministry of BRF. It is our vision to encourage and support the free establishment of Who Let The Dads Out? groups. We want to help you to run your own sessions to support fathers and their children in your local community. On this website you'll find details of how your church can apply to join the Who Let The Dads Out? network. It is free to join, but once a member, you will be able to use the Who Let The Dads Out? name and logo, materials, publicity, and log on to the forum for ideas.
FAQ – frequently asked questions for those not net savvy!
What is Who Let The Dads Out?
It is a parent and toddler session specifically for dads, male guardians and their children. It is based on the traditional parent and toddler format, but usually takes place on a Saturday morning and includes a few masculine touches, such as bacon butties and newspapers.
Why Should We Set One Up?
This is a great way to get the men of your community through the doors of your church building and gives you the opportunity to begin to build relationships with them and their children.
How Do We Set Up A Group?
It is very simple. It might be worth trying a one-off session to begin with - just to get things off the ground. Take the format of whatever you do for parents and toddlers during your weekday sessions and move it to a Saturday morning. Advertise it for fathers, male guardians and their children, and tell the people who come along to your weekday group about the Saturday morning session. Finally, get the grill going to fuel a steady supply of bacon butties! If you don't have a weekday parent and toddler group, see 'What help can we get?' below.
How Do We Register Our Group?
Contact us at wholetthedadsout@brf.org.uk and we'll send you a registration form. Complete and return this to us and we'll put the details of your group on the Who Let The Dads Out? map.
What Help Can We Get?
Visit www.brfonline.org.uk to order a copy of the Who Let The Dads Out? book, written by the founder, Mark Chester. The book contains some of the theology and philosophy of working with fathers, and guidance for setting up a group. It is also a good idea to ask an existing group for help and advice. You can also order leaflets from us which can then be overprinted to advertise your sessions.
Can We Give Our Group A Different Name?
You can, but we prefer you use the name Who Let The Dads Out? for your sessions. We feel that the name has been important in drawing people's attention to the issue of churches' outreach to men and their families, and has also helped attract fathers and male guardians to take part. The impact of Who Let The Dads Out? as a movement is strengthened with each new group and we would like your group to be identified as being part of the growing initiative.
Should All The Leaders Of The Group Be Men?
Not necessarily. It is more important that the right people - those who are welcoming, friendly and can put people at their ease - lead the group, regardless of their gender. However, if possible it is preferable to have some male leaders associated with your group as this helps to confirm in people's minds that the sessions are for men.
Should We Charge Families?
There are pros and cons for both charging and not charging. Some say that your sessions will be valued more if you charge a fee. However, if you decide to, it is important to try to keep the fee low, so you do not exclude anyone.
Should We Include School-age Children?
Some groups do and some don't. The idea for Who Let The Dads Out? was originally conceived for pre-school children and their fathers, and SODA Club (see below) was for older children. It can be difficult to provide equal enjoyment for children across a wide age range. However, a number of groups are flexible about ages and it works successfully for them. If a dad attends with a toddler but also has an older child, some groups allow the older child to become a helper and proudly wear a helper's badge! Overall, it is important to decide on a policy and then stick to it in as clear and gentle way as possible.
What About Children Who Do Not Have A Father?
Make clear that your sessions are for fathers and male guardians/carers and encourage granddads, uncles and godfathers to get involved with their children.
Should We Include Any Christian Content In Our Sessions?
Who Let The Dads Out? was intended as a way of beginning to make relationships with the men in our communities. Daddy Cool! and Soul Man? (see below) provide a route from Who Let The Dads Out? to exploring faith. But there is nothing stopping you including some Christian content in your sessions. If you want to do that, why not give it a go?
How Important Is The Bacon Butty?
There is some truth in the old saying: the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Need we say more?! It is advisable to make alternative arrangements for those who cannot eat bacon, such as vegetarians or Muslims.
After Who Let The Dads Out? - What Next?
- School's Out, Dad's About (SODA) Club is for older children and their fathers/male guardians.
- Daddy Cool! is a five session parenting programme for dads, including a session about passing on values and beliefs.
- Soul Man? is a format for giving men the opportunity to explore faith and spirituality in more depth.
How Did It Start?
Mark Chester introduces Who Let The Dads Out?
I bumped into a friend recently, and she noticed my furrowed brow. I was feeling under enormous pressure and the sensitive soul that she is changed my mood completely with just a few encouraging words. She told me that her friend's husband went with his son to a dad and toddler group. "He wouldn't step foot inside a church normally," she said, "but he won't miss a Who Let The Dads Out?session." It was music to my ears.
Who Let The Dads Out? began in March 2003 at HooleBaptistChurch in Chester. Some mums on a parenting course at the church complained about how little the fathers of their children and their children spent together, so we responded by setting up a special session for dads and their toddlers.
A Who Let The Dads Out? session is simple. A church takes a normal parent and toddler session, moves it to a Saturday, incorporates masculine touches, such as bacon butties and newspapers, and targets it specifically at fathers and male guardians and their children. It is a format that has worked in many churches and has had a positive impact on people's lives.
Dave is a stay-at-home dad to three sons. It is a lonely business, and Dave was desperate for contact with other fathers. At his first Who Let The Dads Out? session, he couldn't quite believe seeing so many dads in one place having fun with their toddler children. He quickly became a regular.
As the children at Who Let The Dads Out? grew older and started school, we launched a new group called School's Out, Dad's About (SODA) Club. When Dave's children started school, he took them along to SODA Club.
For those dads who wanted to explore their fathering roles in more depth, we also offered a parenting program specifically for dads called Daddy Cool! and Dave joined this too. The last session of Daddy Cool! is about passing on values and beliefs, and, perhaps surprisingly, many of the men found this the most enjoyable session, so we set up a group for men to explore very basic aspects of faith and spirituality, called Soul Man? Dave became a member of the group.
And how was it impacting on Dave’s own spirituality? ‘I think I definitely have a spiritual side,' he said, 'but whether there is a God or any point in praying, I don’t know. It has made m e realise that I need to decide what I believe-what my spiritual notions are. That’s one reason why I've started the Alpha Course.'
A few years later, and Dave now goes to church with his family. "I do have faith that things will work out," he says. "I pray about family issues and concerns, and I often pray with the boys at bedtime. My faith has deepened and I get more from church than I used to."
Led by our team at HooleBaptistChurch, the Who Let The Dads Out? initiative has grown steadily since 2003, and now many churches throughout the country have set up their own groups to engage with fathers and their children. The support churches receive will be boosted in April 2012 when my books Who Let The Dads Out? and School's Out, Dad's About will be published by BRF. The books contain a mix of theology, philosophy and practical guidance about how to set up and run all of the groups. Enjoy!'
I hope that through reading and responding to this book you will discover your own Daves, because, for me, all the hard work of setting up and running these groups for fathers would still have been worth it, even if it had all been for only Dave.
What About Starting WLTDO? In Your Corps?
- PRAY!
- See if there is a need in your community. Carry out some research to make sure – check local churches to see if they are conducting a similar scheme. If there is a need, and you belong to a small corps, why not talk to other churches to combine your resources.
- PRAY!
- Buy a copy of both books – go to the website www.brfonline.org.uk/men - and order them online. To save on postage, you can download a PDF copy of each book for only £6.99
- PRAY!
- Read both books – and remember as Christians you will follow copyright requirements and only print one copy.
- PRAY!
- Decide if this is right for your community and you have the right leaders to implement it.
- PRAY!
