May/June 2022: Join The ConVersation

Let the Conversation Begin

On April 9th, the 3rd Father-Con was held at Warren High School in Downey, Ca and if you were there, you were part of something significant. It was a diverse gathering of men and women and the occassional child coming with parents after soccer games, with over 20 workshops on a range of topics to inform and stimulate some serious conversations. Tools for practical application at home, connections to resources were available through 40 resource agencies and organizations present. And there were the inspiring stories of fathers, Vijay Patel, Dr. Jeff Brodsky and Harold D’Souza the recipients of the Heart of the Father Award, who have gone above and beyond in their roles as fathers.

Now we are not sitting back after the event but hitting the ground running towards more engagements throughout the rest of 2022 and unveiling plans for 2023.

In the wake of near daily reports of shootings, suicides and struggles to balance private freedoms with public security, the need for fathers to meet the challenges of the day head on and with intention is greater than ever. The problems we face as a nation and around the world are not such that we can arrest our way out, legislate our way free, or wish our way to health. Just like human trafficking is often misunderstood to be an “over there” problem or a “those people” tragedy, the solutions will not come from a silver bullet or magic wand…it will not come from “those people” or “over there.” The solutions must arise from within our hearts and our families and then our communities. Yes, we need the laws and the enforcers of the law, but it is when fathers prioritize being the safe and protective harbor for their children, taking the steps to heal the hurt in their own hearts, and standing up for the unique and irreplaceable worth of their sons and daughters, we will see the change, so important, come and come quickly.

Patrick Erlandson, Founder: Father-Con, and See it. End it. Film & Arts Festival