The Leeds Rhinos Foundation’s TryZone project offers a wide ranging support network to young dads, to help prepare them for some of the encounters they experience as a young parent.
The programme is aimed at younger fathers aged 16 and upwards, who are needing the often vital support and advice required to be both successful father figures and provide a healthy and positive environment for their children.
The staff at Tryzone, with the support of industry trained professionals, are in place to offer practical help, as well as emotional support to the young dad’s in the programme through a series of workshops designed to approach different areas of parenthood.
The project covers such topics as; the barriers to being a dad, the role of a dad and lifestyle changes, the birth of a baby and the challenges of parenting. There is also a focus on promoting healthy relationships for young parents.
TryZone, which is funded by the Big Lottery fund, now in its second year, has already helped change the lives of hundreds of children and their families in the community and Young Dads programme, which started in 2014, is another project geared towards helping a growing sector of society in young parents.
Janet Sylvester, Family Project Tutor, who has worked on the project, has been pleased by its success so far: "The project has been a huge success and we are hoping to develop it further as a result to incorporate first time dads but also teenage dads who can be a young as 16”
One highlight for some of the dads who have used the service has been appearances from some of the Leeds Rhinos first team who have first-hand experience of some of the challenges of being a father for the first time and could pass on some helpful advice.
A young father, who had used the service earlier in the year, was surprised by how much of a help the project had been for him: “TryZone have done a lot for me to be honest, they’ve helped me with some anger issues, and helped me with the upbringing of my nine month old baby and most of all they have helped me to look at situations from a different perspective and look at things in a positive way.
“It’s much better than I was expecting, I would say to other dads to come down to TryZone and give it a go because it helps you a lot.”
For more details on the TryZone project email Nigel.Wood@leedsrugbyfoundation.org