Developing a facilitators’ manual to start and maintain a peer support group for immigrant and intercultural fathers
Turci, Fabrizio (2019)
Turci, Fabrizio
2019
All rights reserved. This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2019112322035
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2019112322035
Tiivistelmä
ABSTRACT
Fabrizio Turci “Developing a facilitator’s manual to start and maintain a peer sup-port group for immigrant and intercultural fathers”.60 pages and 10 Appendix. Autumn 2019.Diaconia University of Applied Sciences, Degree Programme in Social Services (Degree title: Bachelor of Social Services)
This aim of this product-based thesis, carried out in collaboration with Familia ry, was the creation of a peer support facilitator manual designed for those people, organizations, and public services that work with men within a parenting framework and are planning to establish a short course to help intercultural or/and immigrant fathers. The idea for this this thesis originated after the implementation and evaluation of the survey created with the aim to investigates intercultural couple stress factors, crisis and divorce issues, to better understand which services could be created and implemented to support intercultural couples. While evaluating the result of the survey it was recognized that there is a lack of support for intercultural or/and immigrant fathers in the community. The finding of the survey highlighted the need to create a peer support group for fathers of intercultural families.
To support intercultural or/and immigrant fathers in the community, the “Fathers’ Group “peer support was created and implemented with the aim to provide help to fathers at various stages in their parenting, including those expecting to become parents. Several methods were used innovatively during the project combining both theory and practice. The project had in addition a gender and culture sensitive approach. As result of the implementation and evaluation of the “Fathers’ Group”, became apparent the need to develop a manual to support facilitator to start and maintain a peer support group for immigrant fathers and fathers within an intercultural relationship.
The contents of the manual is based on the knowledge and experience acquired dur-ing the implementation of the “Fathers’ Group” at Familia ry between October 2018 and February 2019 for a total of 18 session, on the information that Familia had gathered during the years working with intercultural families, and on the former peer support group models that had been developed during Duo project. The empha-sis presented in the manual is around the issues that fathers face in dealing with their own cultural practices while integrating in the new culture, the effect that men and children have on each other, their intercultural relationship, and the development of their children’s intercultural identity and bilingualism. The manual is structured to be easily read and presented regardless of the facilitator’s experience level. The manual provides an outline for a thirteen-week course covering different topics that focuses specifically on fatherhood.
As a result of the experience attained during the implementation of the Father’s Group and the development of the facilitator manual, it became evident that by recognizing that fathering in an intercultural relationship is a concept that needs more attention and social support, it will be easier to create specific policies and programs for intercultural and immigrant fathers.
Keywords: Peer support, Fatherhood, Intercultural relationship, Peer support facilitator
Fabrizio Turci “Developing a facilitator’s manual to start and maintain a peer sup-port group for immigrant and intercultural fathers”.60 pages and 10 Appendix. Autumn 2019.Diaconia University of Applied Sciences, Degree Programme in Social Services (Degree title: Bachelor of Social Services)
This aim of this product-based thesis, carried out in collaboration with Familia ry, was the creation of a peer support facilitator manual designed for those people, organizations, and public services that work with men within a parenting framework and are planning to establish a short course to help intercultural or/and immigrant fathers. The idea for this this thesis originated after the implementation and evaluation of the survey created with the aim to investigates intercultural couple stress factors, crisis and divorce issues, to better understand which services could be created and implemented to support intercultural couples. While evaluating the result of the survey it was recognized that there is a lack of support for intercultural or/and immigrant fathers in the community. The finding of the survey highlighted the need to create a peer support group for fathers of intercultural families.
To support intercultural or/and immigrant fathers in the community, the “Fathers’ Group “peer support was created and implemented with the aim to provide help to fathers at various stages in their parenting, including those expecting to become parents. Several methods were used innovatively during the project combining both theory and practice. The project had in addition a gender and culture sensitive approach. As result of the implementation and evaluation of the “Fathers’ Group”, became apparent the need to develop a manual to support facilitator to start and maintain a peer support group for immigrant fathers and fathers within an intercultural relationship.
The contents of the manual is based on the knowledge and experience acquired dur-ing the implementation of the “Fathers’ Group” at Familia ry between October 2018 and February 2019 for a total of 18 session, on the information that Familia had gathered during the years working with intercultural families, and on the former peer support group models that had been developed during Duo project. The empha-sis presented in the manual is around the issues that fathers face in dealing with their own cultural practices while integrating in the new culture, the effect that men and children have on each other, their intercultural relationship, and the development of their children’s intercultural identity and bilingualism. The manual is structured to be easily read and presented regardless of the facilitator’s experience level. The manual provides an outline for a thirteen-week course covering different topics that focuses specifically on fatherhood.
As a result of the experience attained during the implementation of the Father’s Group and the development of the facilitator manual, it became evident that by recognizing that fathering in an intercultural relationship is a concept that needs more attention and social support, it will be easier to create specific policies and programs for intercultural and immigrant fathers.
Keywords: Peer support, Fatherhood, Intercultural relationship, Peer support facilitator