 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Man to Man course aims to provide kids with role models
By JIM ROSS, Times Staff Writer INVERNESS -- Rick Null understands, from experience and through practice, just how important a strong male role model can be in a child's life. Null, 44, grew up in Texas. His father, an avid rock collector, frequently led the family on expeditions to Mexico and the southwestern United States. "I just remember so many things from my childhood," Null said. "If I hadn't had a dad, half of those things I probably never would have done." Null also sets a good example for his own children, ages 4, 5, and 7. He helps his wife at home as much as he can and also handles two jobs, a local one during the week and another in Orlando on weekends. Now Null is ready to show other men how much they can contribute to a child's life. This fall, Null will help lead a new group called Man to Man. As many as 20 men may participate in the program, designed to teach men why it's important to be involved in kids' lives and how to properly approach the task. Sponsoring the program is Childhood Development Services, the nonprofit company that provides Head Start and Early Head Start in Citrus County. Those government-funded programs help nurture young children (birth to age 5) and prepare them for school. "Men being involved in children's lives brings growth and stimulation for the rest of the child's life," said Head Start's Charlynn Behrens. She has heard the Department of Juvenile Justice estimate that 75 percent of children who don't have a strong male role model wind up in the criminal court system. There are 112 children enrolled in Citrus Head Start. One of every three has no direct male role model in his or her life, Behrens estimated. That's why the agency sought a grant to bring Man to Man to Citrus. Participants must be adult men who are involved in the life of a Head Start child. The man could be the child's father, brother or uncle; he might be the boyfriend of the mother. Man to Man starts with a family cookout from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 22 at Whispering Pines Park in Inverness. Classes begin Oct. 1 and last until Dec. 17. Sessions will be once a week at the Head Start building at 2285 Carter St. in Inverness. They will begin at 5:30 p.m. and last until 8:30 or 9 p.m., Behrens said. The sessions will feature a meal and occasional guest speakers. Null is a maintenance worker for Head Start, a program his children have attended. He and another instructor attended a training seminar in Orlando, where they learned more about the Nurturing Fathers curriculum they will teach their group. The curriculum emphasizes both the importance of men being involved and the mechanics of how to be involved: how to be more nurturing; how to overcome barriers (substance abuse, anger, bad childhood experiences) that get in the way of nurturing a child; how to build healthy relationships with children; how to play with a child; how to discipline a child. Of course, children aren't the only ones who benefit from a health relationship, Behrens said. "When men abandon the upbringing of their children to their wives, a big loss is suffered by themselves," anthropologist Ashley Montague wrote in 1964. The quote is included in course materials. "For what they lose is the possibility of growth in themselves for being human, which the stisulation of bringing up one's children gives." For informationCall 637-3933 for information about Man to Man. Call the same number to inquire about child placement, volunteer opportunities or job opportunities with Head Start.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
Citrus Times |
