The Ohio Practitioners’ Network for Fathers and Families is thrilled to offer an opportunity for you to be one of the first to be trained in PREP’s new fatherhood curriculum, On My Shoulders. PREP (www.prepinc.com) is well known for their successful healthy relationship curricula, such as Within My Reach. PREP has combined all that they have learned from that work with the best and latest information and content on engaging and supporting fathers in this new state-of-the-art curriculum.  

PREP chose Ohio for their first training location for On My Shoulders because two of the principal authors of the curriculum are from Cincinnati, Calvin Williams and Leif Noll.  OPNFF is truly honored to be the host for this event.  The two and one half day training will be in Springfield, Ohio on October 6, 7 & 8 at the Courtyard by Marriott, Downtown Springfield.  We have negotiated a reduced price with both PREP and the hotel to make this training as affordable as possible for Ohio practitioners.  The training cost is $350 and includes:  On My Shoulder instructor manual, OMS participant manual, resource disk, copy of Primary Colors Personality Tool, calming skills CD, 1 canvas briefcase bag and an On My Shoulders powerpoint.  And as a special bonus, our Ohio colleagues and the Curriculum’s principal authors will lead the training.

Registration and Lodging: Participants who reserve lodging by September 15 will secure the low price of $79 per night plus taxes at the Courtyard by Marriott.  The lodging rate will be $119 per night after September 15.  The first 20 OPNFF members to register by will receive a special discounted rate of $300.  CEUs for the training are pending.  To register, send your name, agency (if applicable), address, phone, and email to us, info@ohiofathers.org or call us at 216.502.4795.

The Curriculum: On My Shoulders is a strengths-based, experiential curriculum designed to give a wide array of men valuable tools for being strong, effective fathers. OMS is not a parenting class per se, but is an experiential learning process that emphasizes relationships skills, builds self-awareness, addresses emotions, promotes mindful choices (Deciding, not Sliding), and encourages participants to value themselves as fathers and as men.  OMS is designed to support each participant as a man and a father.  The focus of the program is to equip participants with skills for healthy relationships, but particularly relationships with their kids.  Participants will have the opportunity to explore their experiences, beliefs, emotions, strengths, obstacles and hopes for the future

On My Shoulders takes into account fathers in many different situations and is suitable for fathers and fatherhood groups in the military, in churches and other faith-based communities, family violence programs, prison settings, and social service agencies that are interested in creating father- and male-friendly programs.