Fathers Talk Story

Workshop offers parenting know how

By Jennifer Smith

The Mediation Center is offering men a chance to talk story about parenting. A 12-week workshop for fathers will begin on Feb. 6.

Program facilitator Taylor Kawaa has offered the workshop for the past two years. Meeting for about an hour on Wednesday evenings, participants discuss the different challenges and successes they may be encountering as fathers.

“I’m not here to change people’s lives. They will change on their own,” Kawaa said. “(I) offer ideas of trying to cope with their relationships, with their wives or their children.”

Acknowledging a cultural divide between fathers and their children, Kawaa said many of the parents’ challenges arise from “trying to find that right mix between culture and the days we are living in right now.”

Kawaa hopes the fathers will walk away with “a better understanding of themselves.”

The fathering workshop is for men; however, women who would like more information on the program can contact Kawaa at the Mediation Center. 

The workshop runs three times a year, but Kawaa also offers one-on-one mentoring and coaching.

The Mediation Center is located in the Myer Office Building and is open Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. For more information call 553-3844.