A Statement of Principles by Allan Shedlin
Founder, DADvocacy Consulting Group and Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F)
Many of us are slowly floating to the surface after all but drowning in the roughest political seas this nation has seen in our lifetimes.
The horrific and dispiriting turbulence has been amplified by social media outlets gone berserk as they fight for our attention by whatever means deemed necessary.
The notion of “battleground states” morphed into a battleground nation. So perhaps it’s no wonder that Thomas Paine’s words, written during an earlier turbulent time, have been echoing in my consciousness, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Written in 1776 to inspire a nation to persevere as it battled for its freedom from tyranny, these words were the opening sentence in The American Crisis.
We are living in fraught times when lying is rampant and so is lying about lying or bragging about lying.
The aftermath of these polarizing elections has moved many of us, individually and organizationally, to clarify, restate, and/or recommit to the principles that guide our lives and work.
And so, during these moments of polarization, uncertainty, and fear, we welcome this opportunity to rededicate our work at the DADvocacy Consulting Group (DCG), and our signature Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F), to do everything in our power to draw attention to the importance of positive father involvement for the good of children and youth and for the good of fathers, father figures, and families.
All the research shows that when fathers and children are positively involved in each other’s lives, all measures of social well-being improve for children and fathers alike, as well as for the families in which they exist. As we may feel increasingly powerless to influence the broad, global issues that impact our lives, we feel obligated to devote even more attention and energy to those things we do have power over: our parenting and close relationships.
While those we elect to public office as our representatives give lip service to working in a bi-partisan manner, we believe our work is supra-political. The care and well-being of our children rises above any and all political considerations. Our guiding goal and work is to single-mindedly ensure that ALL children realize their best shot at self-actualization and are protected from the political whims that might hamper such actualization.
The care and well-being of our children rises above any and all political considerations. Our guiding goal and work is to single-mindedly ensure that ALL children realize their best shot at self-actualization...
With that in mind, it is DCG's duty to identify and address everything that stands in the way of achieving that ultimate goal. The DADvocacy Team at DCG and D3F will fight against whatever might interfere with such achievement and continue to support those individuals and organizations entrusted with our children’s care.
While some may aspire to bipartisanship, we believe such a paradigm establishes a sense that there are two sides to ensuring necessary support for children, fathers, and families. So, DCG's work and our collective efforts are proudly partisan on behalf of children and families of all backgrounds and in whatever family dynamic they may exist.
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Allan Shedlin has devoted his life's work to improving the odds for children and families. He has three daughters, five grandchildren, as well as numerous "bonus" sons, daughters, and grandchildren. Trained as an educator, Allan has alternated between classroom service, school leadership, parenting coaching, policy development, and advising at the local, state, and national levels. After eight years as an elementary school principal, Allan founded and headed the National Elementary School Center for 10 years. In the 1980s, he began writing about education and parenting for major news outlets and education trade publications, as well as appearing on radio and TV. In 2008, he was honored as a "Living Treasure" by Mothering Magazine and founded REEL Fathers in Santa Fe, NM, where he now serves as president emeritus. In 2017, he founded the DADvocacy Consulting Group. In 2018, he launched the DADDY Wishes Fund and Daddy Appleseed Fund. In 2019, he co-created and began co-facilitating the Armor Down/Daddy Up! and Mommy Up! programs. He has conducted daddying workshops in such diverse settings as Native American pueblos, veterans groups, nursery schools, penitentiaries, Head Start centers, corporate boardrooms, and various elementary schools, signifying the widespread interest in men in becoming the best possible dad. In 2022, Allan founded and co-directed the Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) to enable students, dads, and other indie filmmakers to use film as a vehicle to communicate the importance of fathers or father figures in each others' lives. Allan earned his elementary and high school diplomas from NYC’s Ethical Culture Schools, BA at Colgate University, MA, at Columbia University’s Teachers College, and an ABD at Fordham University. But he considers his D-A-D and GRAND D-A-D the most important “degrees” of all.
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