Mayor Speaks At Commencement
Mayor Michael Bloomberg attended the first graduation for the CUNY Fatherhood Academy at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City last Wednesday, Sept. 12.
As noted, the academy is a program that assists young fathers who are unemployed or underemployed in learning parenting skills, prepares them to obtain employment, earn their GED where necessary and enroll in, and graduate from college.
Bloomberg addressed the program’s graduates as well as the incoming students in the next class at the ceremony. Of the 22 graduates, six have enrolled at LaGuardia as incoming freshmen and four have taken and passed the G.E.D. exam. Twelve participants have also obtained permanent employment.
“We cannot overestimate the importance that fathers play in their children’s lives,” said Bloomberg. “The CUNY Fatherhood Academy is promoting the goals of the Young Men’s Initiative to strengthen family connections and educational and employment opportunities by teaching young fathers to become responsible caregivers, while helping them learn skills that will increase their employment options.”
During the ceremony, Bloomberg was presented with an award from the National Fatherhood Initiative for his support of the program.
“LaGuardia Community College creates opportunities for New Yorkers and helps individuals and families enter the middle class,” said Dr. Gail O. Mellow, president of LaGuardia Community College. “We are thrilled to join Mayor Bloomberg and CUNY in pioneering new ideas and in partnering with us to make the CUNY Fatherhood Academy at LaGuardia a success. Through this program, young fathers will gain skills, become better parents and have new doors open for them.”
The CUNY Fatherhood Academy is part of New York City’s Young Men’s Initiative, a comprehensive effort to help young black and Latino men achieve their professional, educational, parental personal goals through an array of programs and services designed to increase access to mentoring, education, employment, and various opportunities for civic and community engagement.
The free 16-week program offers classes in GED and college preparation; work experience through a parttime job or internship; and opportunities to learn about careers and other topics, such as a father’s rights and responsibilities, health and nutrition and financial literacy.
In collaboration with the Young Men’s Initiative, LaGuardia’s Division of Adult and Continuing Education and the City University of New York CUNY collaborated with NYC Dads-The Mayor’s Fatherhood Initiative to launch the the CUNY Fatherhood Academy. The effort is funded by the Open Society Foundation’s Campaign for Black Male Achievement.
“We are pleased to partner with the NYC Young Men’s Initiative and LaGuardia Community College to offer this unique program that is designed to help young fathers reclaim the future for themselves and their children by pursuing higher education,” said Deborah Douglass, executive director of Education and Training Opportunity Programs at CUNY. “We congratulate these young men on successfully completing this first step and will continue to support them in achieving their academic and career goals.”
