F/A Brotherhood Chapters Coming!!
Gentlemen! It's been in the works for some time, and now we are starting the process to get our F/A Brotherhood Chapters off the ground. Here's the skinny on the Chapters.
What are F/A Brotherhood Chapters?
F/A Brotherhood Chapters are in-person hang outs where you and a bunch of other foster and adoptive dads can meet in order to share common bonds, share your journey, and share solutions to what life hands you in the foster and adoption dad "world".
Who Will Lead the Chapters?
Vetted and trusted individuals from our F/A Brotherhood page will be leading the groups. We will have informational meetings on those interested in being a Chapter Leader on Friday, February 26 and Sunday February 28 at 9pm EST. This will be an overview of the roles and responsibilities of a leader as well as how you, as a leader, will be supported. Zoom information will be provided closer to the meetings.
What Will the Chapters Look Like?
Chapters will be different depending on the leaders discretion. They can meet in homes, restaurants, coffee shops, wherever. We want you to be open and honest during these times, however, we do not want the whole experience to be a complaint fest. Come willing to share, but also share what solutions have worked for you in the past. Every Chapter will also be required to complete a service project at least once a year for a local foster/adoption ministry, DSS office, or local agency. Chapters should be at least an hour long, but could go longer depending on what your leader decides and meet on a monthly basis.
Will I Have a Chapter in my Area?
Chapters are based on a willing-leader basis. We may seek out some people in larger concentrated areas to see if we can get some Chapters started as some guys in our group are from specific places that could be a catalyst for a start-up Chapter.
Do Guys Have to be on the Facebook Page to be in a Chapter?
Definitely not. If you know someone from your agency or your church who is a foster and adoptive dad who is not part of our Facebook community, they are more than welcome to join a Chapter. Feel free to invite them to the Facebook page as well if they have Facebook.
Why Are F/A Brotherhood Chapters Important?
As we stated in our last blog post, community is important. VERY important. We have a sense of community in our online Facebook community, but nothing beats face-to-face interaction. When you can lean on a brother or brothers when going through a difficult time, nothing beats it. It also gives you the opportunity to reach out for help if necessary.
What about COVID?
Great question. We are just in the beginning stages of these Chapters getting off the ground. These are exciting times for us as a group, but we also recognize that COVID is still around. The good news is, we won't be starting the actual Chapters until we have our first group of leaders vetted and interviewed. The goal (which is subject to change) is to get our first Chapters up and running by April or May at the latest. We will monitor the COVID situation at that point and discuss options with the leaders in place.
I realize you may have more questions than what are posed above. If you do, or want to be a leader and cannot make the informational sessions, please reach out to me at fabrotherhood1@gmail.com and I will answer your questions and/or connect with you if you want to be a Chapter Leader.