The Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board (MAWIB) announced, this past Tuesday, its plans to join forces with Mayor Tom Barrett’s Fatherhood Initiative at the upcoming Fatherhood Summit.
The 9th annual Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit will be held on Friday, October 31st from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 1st from 7:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. at Destiny Youth Plaza located on 7210 North 76th Street.
“MAWIB has made substantial progress in improving coordination between the city’s economic development priorities and the needs of unemployed and underemployed residents,” said MAWIB President and CEO Earl Buford.
“MAWIB is proud to join the Fatherhood Initiative and dozens of other collaborative partners to support Milwaukee area dads at this year’s Fatherhood Summit.”
MAWIB is planning and organizing a special session on Saturday morning of the summit in partnership with the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership/ BIG STEP.
It will be designed to inform and educate dads on job training and employment opportunities resulting from the construction of the new Northwestern Mutual headquarters and other workforce development programs and projects.
Milwaukee County Child Support caseworkers will review cases to reduce eligible child support interest debt for dads.
Driver’s License Recovery staff will assist fathers seeking to regain their driving privileges.
The summit will highlight information on new Milwaukee County bus routes that provide fathers the access to employers and jobs in area suburbs.
Men will learn about enrollment in the Affordable Healthcare Act that starts on November 15th.
The importance of good health, credit repair, starting a business, healing broken relationships and changing one’s life direction are also summit topics.
“The absence of fathers is an epidemic plaguing our community, and the problem is strongly linked to poverty, unemployment and a host of social and economic problems,” said Buford. According to 2011 U. S. Census data, 1 out of every 3 children live in father-absent homes.
The problem is most acute in the African American community.
Nearly 2 in 3 African American children live in father absent homes.
The Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit began in 2006 through efforts of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and other community leaders.
It has helped connect more than 9,000 men to education, employment, driver’s license recovery, child support, health care and other services.
Pre-registration for the Fatherhood Summit has begun at the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative and Social Development Commission websites at www.MilwaukeeFatherhood.com and www.cr-sdc.org.
The annual free event is free and open to the public.
