First Scarborough meeting set for this weekend

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Brandon Hay is looking to dispel the stereotype that black fathers don't play a role in their children's lives.

Hay's Black Daddies Club is meeting in Scarborough on Sunday, April 27 at the Malvern Community Recreation Centre from 6 to 9 p.m. This is the third meeting of the club and its first in Scarborough - Hay's home community.

The Black Daddies Club is a forum for black men to support one another as parents and help to build one another as leaders within the various black communities and the community at large.

"(I want) to kill the stigma that black father's don't exist, don't play a role," Hay said.

The meetings are open to and seek to engage the wider community.

Hay said previous meetings in Kensington Market and Brampton have attracted both men and women and a variety of ages including an 18-year-old high school student and a 60-year-old retiree.

The club held its first meeting April 13.

"The (idea for the) Black Daddies Club came about around the time I was expecting my first son. I was super scared, maybe because I was raised by a single mom. She did a great job, but maybe (it was) not having that male support system," Hay said, now a father of three.

The topic of Sunday's meeting is violence in the community, although people are free to discuss issues of importance to them. Previous meetings have focused on communication in relationships and finding spirituality.

"(It's about) the black community gathering and talking about real-life issues, not just violence," Hay said.

He explained there are three layers to the club, the first being a forum for black fathers to come together to talk about issues, concerns and victories; the second being a forum for the wider community to come together to talk about issues of concern to them; and the third is to offer a mentoring program for black youth aged 16 to 24.

The club was founded in 2007 and following these initial meetings Hay plans to hold a large launch event in June.

Sunday's meeting takes place in the Community Room. The Malvern Community Recreation Centre is at 30 Sewells Rd., just east of Neilson Road.