Omega Fatherhood and Mentoring
Our Vision
Through an effective international District and Chapter volunteer workforce and organizational support system, programs, services and activities of the International Committee on Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiatives of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., are dedicated to: 1. bridging the gap of father absenteeism in the life of their children and families, and, 2. mentoring fathers and youth internally within the international fraternity and externally to the broader community.
Goal and Objective
Every level of the Fraternity, particularly at the chapter level, is asked to play an active role in support of the partnership by actively engaging in the promotion of the Fraternity’s Fatherhood Mentoring initiative.
Major Tenets
1. Raising Awareness
2. Partnerships
3. Advocacy
4. Celebration
What you can do
What Chapters Can Do:
Every Chapter in Omega is expected to engage in Fatherhood, Mentoring activities. Appoint a Fatherhood and Mentoring Committee Chairman.
Option A
- Conduct Public Awareness Programs
- Host public events, i.e. town hall forums, School PTA meetings, men’s ministry Programs
Advocacy
- Conduct meetings with community leaders; conduct funding petition drives, political roundtables with elected officials on legislative issues, meet with fatherhood leaders, attend political hearings on fatherhood, on Omega Political
- Action Days, chapters visit City, State, Federal and White House offices to meet on behalf of our initiative efforts.
Option B
- Partner with a Fatherhood / Mentoring Group – Chapters work in partnership with community organizations, agencies, institutions, fatherhood activities, focusing on fatherhood, mentoring. i.e. fatherhood, mentoring programs, schools, churches, sports teams, etc.
Option C
- Conduct a full blown Fatherhood / Mentoring Program – This option will requires formal training and a dedicated support staff to conduct the program.
1. Raising Awareness
- Focus public attention on the concerns and importance of Fatherhood and Mentoring.
- Host public events, i.e. town hall forums, School PTA meetings, men’s ministry programs, etc.
- Conduct awareness activities in your chapter communities at Fraternity programs, schools, barbershops, community sporting and entertainment events, Family events, etc.
2. Partnerships
- Chapters work in partnership with community organizations, agencies, institutions, fatherhood programs, focusing on fatherhood and mentoring activities
3. Advocacy
- Conduct meetings with community leaders; conduct funding drives in support of fatherhood and mentoring activities; hold political roundtables with elected officials on legislative issues; meet with fatherhood leaders; attend political hearings on fatherhood; on National Omega Political Action Day once established, chapters should visit City, State, Federal and White House offices to meet and address issues on behalf of our initiative efforts.
4. Celebration
- Host and/or create partnership efforts to celebrate, honor, recognize, and salute fathers. i.e. have a fatherhood breakfast, lunch, or dinner program honoring Father’s for community service, school involvement. Host a salute to Omega Dads in the Fraternity.
Undergraduates:
- Conduct campus forums on the importance of fatherhood, manhood, and focus on the Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative and the Fraternity’s partnership.
- Partner with mentorship programs in schools, churches, recreation centers.
- Conduct community service activity with local fatherhood programs.
- Host a campus fatherhood, mentoring programs.
- The Fraternity can encourage Districts to host partnership day activities during District conferences as a Social Action program with emphasis on fatherhood and mentoring. We can invite fathers and young men. Brother’s can visit local community programs that work with fathers and young men.
- The Fraternity can foster local, state, federal relationships with elected officials, corporate agencies, and community leaders addressing the importance of funding support for Fatherhood and Mentoring Programs. Address policy issues and legislation that addresses, sustaining the field and efforts to support fathers. Conduct meetings with community leaders; conduct funding petition drives, have political roundtables with elected officials on legislative issues, meet with fatherhood leaders, attend political hearings on fatherhood, and host a National Omega Political Action Day, where chapters will visit City, State, Federal and White House offices to meet and address issues on behalf of our initiative efforts
- Declare Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Fatherhood Month, where chapter’s host creative activities saluting fathers, including “Father’s Day and a Father of the Year” program.
- Develop a Fatherhood award for individuals and chapters where they have gone above and beyond the call of duty in working with fathers and their children. This recognition could be done with the Achievement Week awards
- Declare January Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Mentoring Month, where every chapter Brother spends time participating in a mentoring activity.
Tool Kit for Fatherhood & Mentoring
Programs
My Brother’s Keeper
Under the Fatherhood and Mentoring initiative this program falls right in with our partnership efforts in working with boys and young men of color to ensure that they can reach their full potential. See “MBK Community Challenge: How your community can Step up” which shows a game plan of community engagement. Also, as you prepare your mentoring curriculum include the areas listed below. Feel free to take advantage of the information and the identified resources to assist you in your work. If you have questions call me or any member of the International Fatherhood and Mentoring Committee.
Bro. Robert Fairchild
Download: MBK Community Challenge
President Obama launched the My Brother’s Keeper initiative to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and ensure that all young people can reach their full potential.
Through this initiative, the Administration is joining with cities and towns, businesses, and foundations who are taking important steps to connect young people to mentoring, support networks, and the skills they need to find a good job or go to college and work their way into the middle class.
My Brother’s Keeper is focused on six milestones:
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Getting a Healthy Start and Entering School Ready to Learn
All children should have a healthy start and enter school ready – cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally.
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Reading at Grade Level by Third Grade
All children should be reading at grade level by age 8 – the age at which reading to learn becomes essential.
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Graduating from High School Ready for College and Career
All youth should receive a quality high school education and graduate with the skills and tools needed to advance to post-secondary education or training.
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Completing Post-secondary Education or Training
Every American should have the option to attend post-secondary education and receive the education and training needed for the quality jobs of today and tomorrow.
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Successfully Entering the Workforce
Anyone who wants a job should be able to get a job that allows them to support themselves and their families.
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Keeping Kids on Track and Giving Them Second Chances
All youth and young adults should be safe from violent crime; and individuals who are confined should receive the education, training, and treatment they need for a second chance.
Brother You Are On My Mind
This program can and should be where appropriate incorporated into the Fatherhood and Mentoring effort. This, like many other programs can be utilized as we work with the Fathers and
Young Men. Feel free to take advantage of the information and the identified resources to assist you in your work. See the attached support information which includes the Letter of Agreement between Omega Psi Phi and the National Institutes of Health and other information that can be used as you work your programs. If you have questions call me or any member of the International Fatherhood and Mentoring Committee.
Hello everyone,
The Brother You’re On My Mind Toolkit is now available online! We’re excited to have these additional resources available for the Omega Psi Phi, Inc. members and their communities. We look forward to hearing about its usefulness. Thank you all for your contributions to this effort!
- BYOMM Toolkit: Click Here For the Website
- BYOMM Webpage: Click Here For the Website
- Letter of Agreement: Letter of Agreement
- Fact Sheets: Brother You Are on my Mind Sheets
Begin the Conversation… get prepared
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated
Brother, You’re on My Mind: Changing the National Dialogue regarding Mental Health Among African-American Males
What Can I Do Now?
Brothers, we had a great International Undergraduate Summit in Atlanta. We are excited that the Brothers are interested in our Mental Health Initiative: “Brother, You’re On My Mind: Changing the National Dialogue regarding Mental Health Among African-American Men”. We are delighted to partner with the National Institutes of Health on this initiative.
Brothers were asking, ‘What can we do now?’ As you know, we will have sessions at each of our District meetings that will give you a timeline on when had how we will be introducing and implementing this initiative. However, the following are a few examples of things that you can do now.
• Bring in a mental health professional to your chapter meeting to discuss stress and depression
• Connect with your local chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated to partner and begin planning activities for “May National Mental Health Awareness Month’.
• Begin connecting and building relationships with mental health organizations in your local areas (National Association of Mental Illness—NAMI, etc.)
Brother You’re on My Mind
Begin the conversation… get prepared
Resources:
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Medline Plus (National Library of Medicine)
American Psychological Association (APA)
StopBullying.gov
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Establish local partnerships
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Future Dads
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc
Future Dad’s Program Initiative
Suggestions on how to plan and implement a Future Dad’s program
Purpose:
The purpose of this program is to bring awareness to the significance of fatherhood in America, and, to enlighten the male students (who may already be a father or father to be) on the importance of being a father and, importantly, to convey the impact that he can have on his children in communities.
Forum Instructions:
- Target Audience: Primarily male students
- The program should begin around 7PM (or whatever time is more convenient) with a greeting, introduction, and prayer by one of the respective undergraduate brothers.
- Then another undergraduate brother should speak on behalf of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., explaining how we expect to impact men who are young fathers or soon to be fathers within our own communities.
- There should be a brief PowerPoint presentation that the chapter puts together utilizing information from the Future Dads Program PowerPoint. (Slides should have: the purpose, what Brothers feel is needed as a father, characteristics of a man, etc.) Also insert pictures of fathers interacting with their children in the PowerPoint presentation.
- Set up in a panel format with a facilitator. The panel should consist of:
- two graduate brothers who are fathers
- one undergraduate brother or student who did not have a father in his life.
- one undergraduate brother or student who did have a father in his life.
- one undergraduate brother or student who is a father.
- Each panelist should share their experiences. (5-minute limit)
- Have the fathers on the panel speak about their experiences transitioning to the role of being a father after seeing and experiencing the relationship with their own father.
- Open the floor for discussion and have students share what they think are the characteristics of a great father; how one goes about developing these characteristics and how a father might go about building strong relationships with their children. Also, talk about responsibilities, effective communication and other issues.
- Close the program having the students fill out assessments sharing their thoughts on being a good father.
Downloads:
Press / Briefing Room
Newsletters
Presentations
International Committee Chairman Report
Man on the Block
Brother Thabiti Boone Presentation
Contact Us
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Jerry Leftwich 4th District Chairman
Events
No upcoming events
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