Toronto Star: Time to let dads in

Story here.. Excerpt:

Fathers from all backgrounds want to help raise their children, and great programs show them how, writes Andrea Gordon

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"Every week, dads in their teens and early 20s meet for an evening to shoot some hoops or play floor hockey, hare a meal and talk about what's going on in their lives.

For Billey and his children, the benefits of a father support network are huge. It's provided companionship, a chance to blow off steam through sports, and valuable advice.

This wouldn't surprise Ed Bader of Thornhill. The retired family therapist, former priest and grandfather was something of a pioneer in the [Greater Toronto Area] in promoting the father's role. In 1999, he launched Focus on Fathers, which offers free courses in York Region for new dads and immigrant fathers and, this year, teenage fathers. He says modern fathers are "negotiating new turf," often without role models. So mutual support is critical."