The Miami Valley Partnership for Fathers is off and running, and SCYM has started four “Wise Guys” groups for middle school guys that are aimed at teen pregnancy prevention. So far 30 guys are participating – some from health classes at Schaefer Middle, and others are basketball players at Clark Middle. Facilitators Chris LeMaster and Ted Rastatter are doing a great job with the groups, and we hope to get a close-up report from them up on the blog soon.
We’ve collected some data from the groups so far, and while some things were not surprising, a few figures were startling to me.
- Only 12 of the 30 guys, or 40%, live with their fathers. This includes some boys who live with their fathers part of the time.
- 6 of the 30, or 20%, live with their grandparents or another guardian – not with either of their biological parents.
- Of these boys who do not live with their dads, or even with their moms, they were much less likely to report that they have an adult to talk to about girls.
These statistics, while troubling to me and I hope to you, too, tell me that we are in the right place doing the right thing. How desperately our city’s young men need mature, responsible adult men who will invest in them and model for them what a healthy relationship with the opposite sex looks like. How passionately our God, who calls himself a “father to the fatherless,” cares for these young men and calls us to reach out to them in his name.
We’re so grateful for all the partners who pray and support SCYM to enable us to be “in the right place doing the right thing”! God bless you.
Faith Bosland
Executive Director