8/10: Rural Development, White House Host Fatherhood Forum at UNM-Valencia Campus

Sounds like a fascinating opportunity. On Tuesday, August 10, the U.S. Department of Agriculture New Mexico Office of Rural Development, the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships and the New Mexico Alliance for Fathers and Families will host a New Mexico Fatherhood Forum. The event is New Mexico’s response to President Obama’s call to create a national movement on the positive engagement of fathers.

The Fatherhood Forum will take place at the University of New Mexico–Valencia Campus located between Los Lunas and Belen from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. See details below.

The event -- Cultivating a Culture of Vibrant Father Engagement: New Perspectives from Rural America -- will feature a series of events including a community forum on fatherhood open to the public, according to a statement released about the event. The newly formed New Mexico Alliance for Fathers and Families is co-hosting the event with the support of the New Mexico Congressional delegation, Governor Bill Richardson, Lt. Governor Diane Denish and a number of leading State officials.

Last year, President Obama launched a national conversation on fatherhood and personal responsibility. Members of his administration reached out across the country to hear from fathers and their families about the challenges they face and the community-based solutions available for managing the issue of absentee fathers and building strong families.

The public forum will feature a panel of seven participants who will speak from their personal and professional experiences about key fatherhood issues -- calling attention to the support systems and policies that have been beneficial to them and to those that are missing and needed.

In keeping with the theme of “new perspectives from rural America,” the forum will also highlight New Mexico’s agrarian-based cultures. Rooted in the traditions of rural life and the reverence for family, these cultures offer vivid, enduring models for engaged fathers and healthy, vital communities that can be replicated in regions throughout the nation.

What: Cultivating a Culture of Vibrant Father Engagement: New Perspectives from Rural America – a community forum on fatherhood and family

When: Tuesday, August 10, 2010, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Where: UNM–Valencia Campus, 280 La Entrada Blvd., Los Lunas, New Mexico Student Community Center -- located on the most southeastern part of campus

Cost: Free and open to the public. Registration, light refreshments and Pueblo drumming begin at 3:00 PM. (To expedite check-in, participants may pre-register on-line here)