A group of seven men sat in chairs that formed a large circle. I can not recall a time when I have seen a group of males come together willingly to discuss personal issues, let alone sit in a circle to discuss them. But on this day that is exactly what happened. The reason for them coming together is a common connection they all have...being a father.
Ranging from 24-65 years of age, these males come to the WEST YMCA to take part in a weekly program known as the Father's Club. This program, which is specific to the West Philadelphia section of the city, focuses on providing fathers with information and tools to be a positive figure in their child's development.
On this day the fathers were discussing the homework assignment that they were given the week before. One by one the father's discussed their answers. The assignment was for each male to answer several question that touched on what they individually wanted for their children.
It was funny to notice a few father's writing their answers as another father was reading theirs. A familiar scene in most classrooms when it comes time to hand in any homework assignment. One father told the facilitator to come back to him because he wanted to change something. I chuckled to myself as I recalled several situations like that in my grade school days.
Once the session was over for the day the men said their goodbyes. A few lingered a while longer. When an YMCA employee came into the room and asked the facilitator how much longer he would be because the building was about to close for the evening, I took that as my cue to leave. Driving home I thought to myself, "what angle will I take to this session?" Then it suddenly hit me, why not write about their homework for my homework- after all, homework is not specifically designated for children.
Aigner` Cleveland & Lea Coyle
Group 24 - Walnut Hill
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