Father's Forum Greenwich, Neighbor

Fathers&#39; Forum Greenwich<br>In 2004 a few wives asked some local fathers to attend a meeting at the YWCA to hear a speaker discuss alcohol &amp; drug issues in Fairfield County,CT.<br> We were hooked.

From two fathers, we now have 15 members on our Board and 45-65 fathers attending our monthlymeetings early Saturday mornings during the school year.

Our speakers range from authors, therapists, doctors, police, lawyers, students, graduates and actors to a comedian with a message.

All have a drive to help informed, influence and improve the fathering skills of our local fathers’. We are all volunteers from our community, for our community.

Why Fathers&#39; Forum?    <br> Underage drinking in Connecticut is 28% higher than the national average. 77% of high school students report obtaining alcohol at home. Binge drinking occurs alarmingly often among teenagers. Access to cars, cell phones and money make opportunities for gatherings abundant and often dangerous. <br> <br> The average age a youth in Fairfield County takes his/her first drink of alcohol is 11.4 years, younger than most other areas of the county.  Most programs addressing alcohol use/abuse are focused at the high school level, which may well be too late for many.

Though service providers report that hard-core use is increasing at an alarming rate, shockingly, teens did not report addiction or using substances to excess as the norm.

The above and so many other facts and fears have drawn fathers together to discuss,share, learn and understand how best to meet our children on their ground.