The school year is again soon to be underway, and parents and educators worldwide are preparing for and helping their children through yet another transition amid ongoing uncertainty about what the school year will bring, academically and socially. To assist parents and educators in their preparations for back to school, NYSCADV is pulling together some of our recommended resources for your use from our Because We're Dad's Campaign, a part of our Primary Prevention Toolkit.
Primary prevention educators can use the recommended resources below for parents and teachers to engage with children, teens and young adults to discuss healthy relationships at varying points of transition in their lives.
Because We're Dads: Back to School Toolkit Webinar
In this webinar, NYSCADV invited Prevention Educators to join us to discuss a variety of approaches for engaging parents. As part of our Because We're Dads initiative, we'll spotlight the role of dads and male-identified caregivers. In this webinar NYSCADV will introduce resources, including our updated Back to School Toolkit and a collection of Conversation Starters for parents looking for some guidance on how to talk with their children about having healthy relationships. Click here to view the webinar recording.
Because We're Dads: Back to School Toolkit
The Because We're Dads Back to School Toolkit is designed to help dads develop the confidence, capacity and comfort they need to engage in challenging yet critical conversations with their children. It focuses on how dads can support their children to manage transitions to encourage and promote gender equality.
This toolkit also addresses current events, including the COVID 19 pandemic and the ongoing nation-wide uprising around systemic racism, police brutality, racial inequity and injustice. Resources reflect the impact these dynamics have on youth in (and out of) school and the roles fathers can play in discussing these issues with their children. This resource is an evolving document. NYSCADV will provide additional tools, resources and opportunities as we learn more from our collective work and efforts to engage and mobilize dads. Click here to view the Because We're Dads Back to School Toolkit.
Parent Engagement Conversation Starters in Prevention Education
These "Conversation Starters" are available in various formats for prevention educators to use as an outreach and educational tool in your communities. These may be posted on your website, social media, in a PowerPoint presentation and/or as physical handouts.
The conversation starters are intended to be used as prompts for parents and others involved in the lives of children and youth to help initiate open conversations about various aspects of dating. They are a way to explore concepts and norms regarding what makes a healthy versus an unhealthy relationship. While discussing what dating abuse and coercion look like and the tactics often used, cyberstalking is an example that most young people can relate to.
Keep in mind that conversations should focus on promoting the positive behaviors we want to see young people adopt around respectful flirting, consent, and fostering equitable and respectful relationships grounded in healthy communication. Click here to view the Parent Engagement Conversation Starters.
About NYSCADV's Because We're Dads Campaign
The NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NYSCADV) recognizes the impact fathers and father figures have on promoting women's rights, gender equality, and healthy relationships. Fathers play a significant role in the lives of their children and have the opportunity to influence attitudes and behaviors that support healthy and equitable relationships premised on respect, consent and nonviolence. To highlight the impact that fathers and father figures have on our lives, NYSCADV, in collaboration with consultant Rus Funk, who has been working for more than 20 years on efforts to engage and mobilize men and boys in the Because We're Dads: Reaching and Mobilizing Fathers to Promote Gender Equality campaign was initiated in 2019 as part of NYSCADV's Primary Prevention Toolkit.
Within the campaign, you will find a collection of resources, webinars, articles and promising practices aimed at parents, prevention educators and teachers to support their work in engaging with parents and caregivers, regardless of gender, but with specific support for Dads and male caregivers.
Click here to learn more about NYSCADV's Because We're Dads Campaign.
