GOOD YOUNG MEN A PRIORITY IN NAPIER
It was great to attend a father and sons breakfast at Napier Boys High School last week.
My eldest son has just started at NBHS as a Year 9 Student. It's my old high school so I'm proud to be able to keep up the family tradition.
I want to take my hat off to Principal Ross Brown and his team for organising the "Good Men Breakfast". Over 200 young men and their fathers turned out last week for bacon and eggs cooked by older students at the school. Mr Brown spoke passionately about the importance of fathers in families and how Dads really needed to step up through the "testosterone filled" teens. He encouraged fathers to be totally involved in their sons and daughters lives. Importantly he spoke of the key values important to the school and to the young men of the NBHS community - reliability, honesty, respect for women (in fact cherishing women), hard work, humour, amongst a number of other important values.
I am passionate about the role of Dads in families. As my good friend Henare O'Keefe says - "It's easy to be a father - It's hard to be a Dad". Dads are there from the start to the finish when raising their kids. Even if there is a breakdown in the relationship between father and mother Dads are still closely involved throughout.
As a community, as a nation we need to champion the role of fatherhood to ensure that all men (and women) understand just how important "Dads" are in raising their children. We need to particularly drive this message to all parts of our community. Without strong families, without supportive Mums and Dads, gangs can quickly become the replacement role models and caregivers to unsupported teens.
Once again well done to Ross Brown and his team at NBHS for championing the "Good Men" project. I'm sure that these strong messages over the course of a young mans High School education, together with the support from Mums and Dads, will make a real difference in Hawke’s Bay.
It was great to attend a father and sons breakfast at Napier Boys High School last week.
My eldest son has just started at NBHS as a Year 9 Student. It's my old high school so I'm proud to be able to keep up the family tradition.
I want to take my hat off to Principal Ross Brown and his team for organising the "Good Men Breakfast". Over 200 young men and their fathers turned out last week for bacon and eggs cooked by older students at the school. Mr Brown spoke passionately about the importance of fathers in families and how Dads really needed to step up through the "testosterone filled" teens. He encouraged fathers to be totally involved in their sons and daughters lives. Importantly he spoke of the key values important to the school and to the young men of the NBHS community - reliability, honesty, respect for women (in fact cherishing women), hard work, humour, amongst a number of other important values.
I am passionate about the role of Dads in families. As my good friend Henare O'Keefe says - "It's easy to be a father - It's hard to be a Dad". Dads are there from the start to the finish when raising their kids. Even if there is a breakdown in the relationship between father and mother Dads are still closely involved throughout.
As a community, as a nation we need to champion the role of fatherhood to ensure that all men (and women) understand just how important "Dads" are in raising their children. We need to particularly drive this message to all parts of our community. Without strong families, without supportive Mums and Dads, gangs can quickly become the replacement role models and caregivers to unsupported teens.
Once again well done to Ross Brown and his team at NBHS for championing the "Good Men" project. I'm sure that these strong messages over the course of a young mans High School education, together with the support from Mums and Dads, will make a real difference in Hawke’s Bay.
