The seminar series comprised two sessions, and aimed to equip fathers with simple and practical tips and tools in relation to fathering an adolescent girl.
Mrs Jody Forbes, Director of Student Counselling, delivered the seminar alongside former BGGS parent, Mr Brent Wall, who offered his experiences of and insights into raising an adolescent daughter. With more than 100 fathers attending the seminar, it provided a wonderful opportunity for fathers to engage with each other and share their own unique insights, challenges and successes. Fathers were provided with information regarding adolescent development, identity formation and how to navigate typical teenage situations, including emotional outbursts and staying connected, in addition to fathering for confidence and how to help build their daughter’s assertiveness.
The fathers proved a studious and captive audience. Resource booklets were provided, allowing fathers to draw upon the information in the months following the seminar. The seminar concluded with an activity that required fathers to put their learning into action by outlining the best responses to various adolescent scenarios. The thoughtful and comprehensive answers provided by fathers demonstrated their level of commitment and dedication to supporting their daughters.
The seminar was well received with most participants indicating they felt the seminar was enjoyable, helpful and important, and they would recommend it to a friend.
Feedback comments included:
- I liked the fact that other dads had the same interest in better understanding their daughters with all the challenges and imperfections of being a dad.
- It was great to hear about some real challenges from an ex-BGGS parent and how he did his best to understand and deal with them.
- Topics were clearly arranged and explained. Anecdotal examples from the presenters helped to illustrate their points.
- Great session. Will regularly refer to the booklets.
- I thought this was an excellent idea to include a parent co-facilitator in the presentation.
- I would strongly encourage this program. It was well done and I was surprised this was the first time it was done because it ran so well. Congratulations.
The Student Care team at Girls Grammar was delighted to provide this seminar for our fathers. It demonstrates our continued commitment to engaging with our parent body in a shared approach to providing a holistic education and raising confident girls.
