Wyvern Theatre DVD-Launch Pix

John, Marcus and Mike introduced the film to an invited audience of all the dads, partners & families, parents-to-be and other guests including staff from U-Too, Swindon Children's Centre and Swindon YOT.

The DVD was launched with a screening of the main 28 minute film 'Dads Matter Too'.

Special Guest, The Right Hon Michael Wills MP presented each Dad with a limited edition boxed copy of the DVD and CD, and spoke about the film, being a father and the importance of fatherhood.

There was an opportunity to discuss the film and talk to the Dads involved.

Young parents completing their Arts Award stayed on to put the finishing touches to their portfolios and share skills including poetry and rapping. The work's now complete and will be presented for moderation on the 3rd July.

The Four Musketeers

Here's the Wiltshire Times article. It has generated a number of responses on the paper's website, most of them demonstrating the sort of prejudice that we assumed already existed. We now have the evidence!

OBG - Our Big Day!

The sky is blue, it's not raining and there's already been a piece on BBC Wiltshire Radio this morning. Mike and Steven went into the studios in Prospect Place on Thursday, and took the film with them. Mike was interviewed, Steven made sure Mike didn't say anything he shouldn't, and they left the film behind so that the BBC could take some of the sound track off it to play during the interview. So, at 7.15 this morning, Den's Dad Rap had its first air time, and clips of Marcus, Lisa and Karl were heard. You all sounded great! Well done!

U-Too Dads interviewed

Chris was interviewed by GWR for Fathers' Day and felt he gave a good account both of the DVD and himself.

And yesterday four of the Wiltshire dads, who were helping Nicola Balmer from the Wiltshire Teenage Pregnancy Team review the Dads bit of the Wiltshire Guide for Young Parents, were interviewed by Charley Morgan for the Wiltshire Times, and photographed. So the handsome faces of John, Marcus, Steve and Stuart will grace the pages of the paper on Friday.

Tate Modern Trip

As part of our work for the Arts Award we decided to be a bit adventurous and take a trip to London to visit the Tate Modern...

Jackie applied to the Arts Award Access Fund to cover the cost of transport and we were really pleased to be successful. In the end a few people couldn't join the trip because of children being poorly, so they visited Swindon Art Gallery with Mike instead.
So 6 young Dads and Mums, a 6-day old baby, Kevin and Jackie set off early on Saturday 14th June by train to London.. We negotiated the underground (a first for some) and arrived at Blackfriars to walk across the river to the Tate.

We decided to try out the multi-media tour as a good introduction to the permanent collection, and everyone looked around all 6 main galleries. The multi-media tour was a good start, but the interactive learning areas in the foyer of each floor proved more engaging! We saw a real range of artwork, and had some interesting discussions as we looked around at things like Carl Andre's floor elements and the 'pile of bricks', Joseph Beuys' installation with a VW camper van and sledges and the huge metal thunderbolt, Richter's large abstract canvases with layers of colour, a wall of poetry, and various film installations including the naked boxer.
The group made notes as a reminder about the things they'd seen.
Then we had another look at the huge urban art commissions on the outside of the building, and did the streetart walking tour too. We extended our visit by an extra 2 hours so we'd have time to see all the street art, which was most people's favourite art of the day.

On the train home Charlotte recorded discussions about the trip, as her 'apprenticeship' task for the Arts Award, and to make a record for everyone of their review.
Thanks to Lisa for photos of the day.

"Really really good"

We sent a review copy of the film to Adrienne Burgess of The Fatherhood Institute and here's what she says: "I think it's really really good ... I think people could buy and use it." So we hope the film will have the impact we want it to have.

Final Workshop 7th June

The final workshop went well, although a few people couldn't attend today as some children have been unwell.

The focus for the day was to complete any work outstanding, work on the portfolios for the arts award, and share a variety of presentations and leadership skills.
Everyone worked really hard making presentations about the research they'd done into arts heroes and heroines, selecting still images from the video footage, printing photos, photographing, filming, and reflecting on what they've done over the last few months of workshops.

We're looking forward to our trip to the Tate Modern next weekend; we'll be making a video review of the day on the train coming home afterwards.

Congratulations!

Mike presents a Level 2 Parenting Certificate.

Film Launch

We now have a date for this, and a special guest!

Where: Studio One, Wyvern Theatre, Swindon

When: 2pm to 3pm Saturday 28th June

Guest: Rt Hon Michael Wills MP

Invitations to the launch will be sent out shortly and we are hoping to interest local TV, press and radio in the event.

Mr Wills is the MP for North Swindon, where a number of the young dads live, and is Minister of Justice in the Government. We're especially pleased that he wants to be there because he has been a long-time friend of U-Too. We have met him on a number of occasions when we've had problems about funding our work. Most importantly he arranged a meeting for us eighteen months ago with Ed Miliband, who was then the Minister for the Third Sector.

Introduction to the Film

DADS MATTER TOO

The young dads in this film have made it for a number of reasons. They are aware that, as a group, they do not get a ‘good press’. They want to show they are willing to face up to their responsibilities as parents, and that they recognise their importance in the lives of their children.

They are well aware of the difficulties they face. They feel health service professionals often overlook them during their partners’ pregnancies. They experience family conflict, accusations of being too young, problems with housing and finance, tensions in their relationships with their partners. Indeed some of them are no longer with the mothers of their children but maintain, or want to maintain, contact with their children.

Knowing these difficulties first hand means that they are not encouraging other young people to view teenage parenthood as a desirable condition. Far from it, but issues relating to teenage sexual activity, contraception, and teenage pregnancy are not what they want the film to be about. Rather it’s their need for support, through courses like U-Too’s Young Dads-To-Be course, finance to make this support available, and the consequent need to raise awareness among politicians and the general public of their experiences.
They want this film to help inform the national debate about teenage parenthood, challenge stereotypical prejudices, and remind us that ‘dads matter too’.

- Mike White, U-Too. May 2008.

U-Too and the Young Dads-to-be Course

U-Too Community Business Ltd. works with young parents from Swindon and Wiltshire, delivering a range of courses to suit individuals and their circumstances.U-Too has been delivering accredited courses for young mums-to-be and young mums for over five years.

U-Too recognised the need for a similar course for young dads-to-be, developed its own and has been delivering it for nearly four years.

Mike White, U-Too's young fathers' worker, meets dads each week, usually individually, sometimes in small groups, either at their home or at an appropriate centre. He supports them with various courses and personal development over a period of time.

DVD is away for duplication!

After a successful screening in Swindon for Dads & partners to check the film before the DVD was mastered, followed by a not-so-successful crash of Jackie's laptop that meant some of the artwork for print had to be remade, at last the DVD and CD are away being duplicated! There will be 50 'special' double-cased DVDs with music CD, and a further 450 boxed and shrink-wrapped DVDs. So we hope everyone reading this will want to get copies, and recommend the film widely! Details of how to order your copies and contribute to the project will be posted shortly.

The main film is 28 minutes long and includes soundtracks from the music workshops - featuring the Dads Rap 'We're Here To Stay' and a new track 'Skin to Skin; Proud to be a Young Dad'. Also lots of insights and information for anyone with any interest in young fathers. It includes footage from the workshops and interviews of the last 6 months, research, links for further info, and shows the 11 young dads who have been involved in the project.

There's also a further 80 minute of selected edits from the various interviews, workshops and courses. A series of 'Dads Speak' features address topics ranging from advice to other young people, birth, benefits and housing, relationships, to the highlights and challenges of being a young dad. Plus thought-provoking responses to the question 'Is there any other message you would like to give to people watching this film...?'

Next Dates

7th June
at the Link Centre for final media arts workshop.
- finishing off bits of editing, photos, designs for the calendar
- arts hero and heroine presentations
- choosing work to go on the web/print

14th June
Arts Award trip to Tate Modern, London
- details to follow