27 May 2011

DADS FOR LIFE LAUNCHES NEW INTIATIVE TO REACH AND ENGAGE FATHERS VIA THEIR WORKPLACES

— Dads for Life Movement launches Dads@Workplaces initiative and new card game at Dads for Life Conference 2011

27 May 2011, Singapore — Dads for Life movement today launched a new initiative named “Dads@Workplaces” to reach and engage fathers via their workplaces. This initiative was launched at the Dads for Life Conference 2011, which is a key event of National Family Celebrations 2011.

Dads@Workplaces Initiative

The Dads@Workplaces initiative aims to encourage fathers via their workplaces to ACT:

- A: to be Aware of the importance of their role as fathers

- C: to Commit to their role

- T: to spend Time with their children and acquire Tools to be effective fathers and bring Transformation to lives.

When asked why target the workplace, Mr Richard Seow Chairman of the Fathers Action Network, driving the movement, said, “As employees of companies and organizations, many fathers spend a large part of their waking hours at their workplaces. Hence, the workplace is a natural and effective platform to reach dads with our messages. Through such an initiative, employers and companies will also stand to benefit when their employees who are fathers become positive influencers in their children’s lives. Research has shown that productivity and the bottom-line improves at the workplace when there is harmony at home.

Companies who sign up for the initiative can do any of the following:

- Organize a Dads for Life Awareness Talk for all employees

- Distribute Dads for Life collaterals to father employees and disseminate information on dadsforlife.sg website and LifeDads e-Newsletter to father employees

- Introduce initiatives to help father employees better manage work-family balance

- Organize or encourage father employees to participate in a variety of father-child or family bonding activities that enable them to spend time and  bond with their children

- Encourage father employees to participate in the annual Dads for life Conference and other father-related programme

- Organize fathering workshops and talks at the workplace for father employees to acquire effective fathering skills

Dads for Life also intends to include father representatives from organizations onboard Dads@Workplaces as part of a larger pool of 50 father facilitators it hopes to train this year in the I-CAN module which was developed by Dr Ken Canfield, founder of the National Center for Fathering (USA). The I-CAN module equips fathers with skills in being life dads to their children through Involvement, Consistency, Awareness and Nurturance. These fathers will then be equipped to lead and facilitate other father groups within their workplaces, and communities they belong to.

The Dads for Life movement intends to go all out to attract companies to sign up and support the Dads@Workplaces initiative. To kick-start the promotion of this initiative, Dads for Life will be hosting a luncheon for CEOs and leaders of corporate organizations on 30 May to come together and discuss father-friendly work environments and how these would benefit both the organizations as well as their employees.

Please see attached annex for more information about the Dads@Workplaces initiative.

For more information or to sign up for Dads@Workplaces, please contact the Dads for Life Secretariat at tel: +65-6354 7060 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Dads for Life Conference 2011

Today also saw nearly 1,000 fathers taking time off from work to join in the popular Dads for Life Conference. Keynote speaker Dr Ken Canfield integrated humour with practical tips from his book “The Heart of a Father” to explore with the audience why fathers are essential to a child’s well being, the positive benefits children derive when fathers are positively engaged, and easy ways to connect with children.

Other speakers at the conference include:

- Norman Kee (Lecturer at Early Childhood and Special Needs Education Academic Group)

- Shiekh Haikel (Celebrity)

- R. Chandran (Founder of Act 3 Theatrics)

- Mark Richmond (Radio personality from Gold90FM)

- Brian Richmond (Radio personality from Gold90FM)

At the conference, the Dads for Life movement also introduced a fun card game “Knowing Me, Knowing You” for fathers. The movement created the card game as a response to the many anecdotes they have heard of fathers who are quite lost when it comes to starting and sustaining conversations with their children. Premised on the notion that all relationships start with simple conversations, the card game offers fathers talking points to engage their children in conversation to build bonds and strengthen ties. The card game is free of charge and is available for order at www.dadsforlife.sg

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About Dads For Life

The “Dads for Life” Movement is an initiative of the National Family Council and supported by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. Launched in November 2009, the movement seeks to inspire and involve fathers to become good influencers in their children’s lives…for life by getting fathers to ACT:

- A: to be Aware of the importance of their role as fathers

- C: to Commit to their role

- T: to spend Time with their children and acquire Tools to be effective fathers and bring Transformation to lives.