Let's talk Fatherhood

This workshop took place on Tuesday April 23, 7pm - 9pm. Shanghai Restaurant, 651 Somerset St W, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Shanghai restaurant is accessible, through a side door. There is no accessible washroom.

Facilitators: Mike Reynolds and Jan van Heuzen

The workshop had 7 participants, including the organizers. The workshop was not accessible enough: before the workshop, some interested fathers indicated that from 7pm to 9pm was not ideal, as they were responsible for the care of their children. The conversation touched on mental health, body image, and sexual health, through the lens of fatherhood. According to the feedback, the discussion was experienced as valuable, although two hours for three discussions was not long enough to go in depth. Donations were collected for the Shanghai Restaurant.

Mike Reynolds - Everyday Girl Dad: Mike Reynolds is the creator of Everyday Girl Dad, a social community and website that looks to empower fathers and men in positive discussions around feminism and masculinity. As a writer and a speaker, Mike tells stories behind the relationships between dads and daughters, exploring how that bond is instrumental in helping both parent and child understand the impact they have on making change in the world. He wants dads to be reassured it’s okay to cry, to express emotion, and to build relationships through conversation. Mike lives in Ottawa with his partner and two daughters and can be easily spotted in a crowd thanks to his penchant for feminist t-shirts and tattoos of his daughters’ artwork.

Everyday Girl Dad website

Facebook page

Sew Manly podcast

Our plans for this workshop: Mike Reynolds will have a conversation with us and you about fatherhood. As a father in this world, you have to make many choices on how to raise your kids, but what are the right choices and how do we make them? Also, through the lens of fatherhood, masculinity suddenly looks a bit different. It is fruitful to discuss issues like mental health and body image through this perspective of fatherhood.

Stay tuned for more details, and a more specific description of what we will be talking about!