Media campaign
to promote fatherhood

By Karen Francis
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — Just in time for Father’s Day, the Navajo Nation Program for Self Reliance launched its first media campaign on Tuesday to promote and encourage responsible fatherhood.

Roxanne Gorman, NNPSR department manager, said that research indicates that “a father’s involvement is crucial to children as they grow and develop” and there is a “great need to provide fathers information and encourage them to be present for their children.”

“A great deal of social problems faced by the Navajo Nation may be attributed to the physical absence of the father from the home,” Gorman said.

Of the more than 3,000 households served by the NNPSR, nearly 90 percent are headed by single mothers. According to the U.S. Administration for Children and Families, more than 25 million children in America are growing up without involved fathers.

The Program for Self Reliance worked with G&G Advertising of Albuquerque to create the unprecedented media campaign which features the themes “Who’s Looking Up to You? My Dad, My Hero” and “When We Work We Work For All” and includes print ads, posters and radio announcements in Navajo and English.

According to the NNPSR, the first campaign theme “Who’s Looking Up To You? My Dad, My Hero” is an effort to remind fathers that children treasure the time they spend with their dads. The second theme refers to the unique role of the father in the family.

The new campaign is part of the program’s continued effort to encourage fathers to take a more active role in their children’s lives, even if they are no longer with the mother.
“Fathers who are involved in their children’s schools and academic achievement, regardless of their own educational level, are increasing the chances their child will graduate from high school, perhaps go to vocational school, or even to college,” Gorman said.

The NNPSR reports that children with fathers present in their lives are more likely to do well in school and avoid high-risk behavior than children who have uninvolved father.

During the launch ceremony, Navajo Nation Vice President Ben Shelly said that fatherhood is a sacred duty. He related a story about Father Sky and Mother Earth. Shelly said that Father Sky provided rain and sunshine while Mother Earth beautified herself. A dispute came about when each claimed responsibility for the beauty of Mother Earth.

“Disharmony began happening. The water became salty,” Shelly said. The Holy People had to resolve the dispute.
Shelly’s message to fathers by telling the story: “Our word is so powerful — you can say something and it causes a dispute. Watch what you say.”

According to the U.S. Administration for Children and Families more than 25 million children are growing up in America without involved fathers. Children with fathers present in their lives are significantly more likely to well in school and avoid high-risk behaviors such as drug use and criminal activity compared to children who have uninvolved fathers.

Posters for the campaign will be available at the 10 NNPSR offices throughout the Navajo Nation and in Gallup.
Information: (928) 810-8574.