Rob Layton was 19 years old when he became a father 10 years ago.
But the sudden responsibility of raising a child didn't keep him from leaving Chicago to pursue a degree in communications at Kansas State and Emporia State Universities.
"I wanted to get away from the gangs and drugs and get in a better position to take care of my son," he told the Chicago Defender. "I didn't want to have my child to struggle like I did with my mother, being raised without a father."
Layton, now 30, said he was scared and nervous when his girlfriend told him she was pregnant. But he maintained contact with her and sent money home when he could.
He now feels he has a good relationship with his son, Dion, 10, and the boy's mother.
"I see him every weekend and a couple of times during the week," he said. "I also coach his basketball team."
Layton's experiences led him to work with the Young Fathers Initiative in 2000 to help men who were in his same position. On Saturday, he will hold the second annual Fathers Conference, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the office of Metropolitan Family Services, 3062 E. 91st St.
Metropolitan, which founded the group, helps young fathers from their late teens to early 20s, get jobs and learn better parenting skills.
The conference focus will be on legal issues such as record expungement and child support; health issues that have a more serious effect on African American men; as well as safe sex and substance abuse and how to find employment. Free physical exams will be given to those who attend the one-day conference.
About 35 young men showed up for last year's event, Layton said. This year, he'd like to get at least 60 participants.
"This is a good way for some of these guys to start dealing with their issues and their families," said Layton. "I try to help them get the confidence to face their responsibilities."
In February, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-2nd) presented the initiative with a $100,000 federal grant. "That was a great boost for the program," Layton said.
While teens continue to be sexually active, teen pregnancies dropped steadily in Illinois between 1970 and 2002. According to teenpregnancy.org, there were 66 births per 1,000 girls between the ages of 15-19 in 1970. That number decreased to 42 by 2002.
But those young births still mean that there are younger mothers and fathers who need support for their new responsibilities.
While Layton's organization is helping men on the South Side, another agency is servicing clients from its downtown location.
Shaun Henderson, a high school dropout with a two-year-old child, spent eight months in jail last year for manufacturing marijuana.
He was released in November and became involved with the YES! Fathers Program Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin in December.
His parole officer suggested that he look into it once he was out of jail.
Henderson, 22, was at the Goodwill office at 819 S. Wabash Ave. filling out forms Thursday when he spoke with the Defender.
"I have a job now at a deli on the far South Side," he said. "And I'm liking the fact that I don't have to go to jail to get money."
Henderson took his GED exam two weeks ago and is awaiting the results.
The YES! Fathers Program was the brainchild of Jill Boepple, the manager of workforce development for Goodwill.
She had served on a taskforce that dealt with issues about teen mothers statewide and realized that teen fathers really had no advocates.
"There are a lot of services available to young women but not to young men," she said.
The idea was to create a one-stop career center system for young men, 18-to-21, who are fathers and high school dropouts.
Boepple said that unfortunately, many of the young men who are in those categories are also ex-offenders.
"That kind of comes with the package, as well as gang affiliation," she said. "We know that and just tell them that they have to leave that at the door when they come here."
Boepple said the program staff has learned a lot about gangs through the program.
"Depending on how it's organized, a member sometimes has three families," she said.
"The birth family, the gang family, and if you have children or a job, that's the third one."
The third family is what Boepple wanted to create for the young men in the program.
"We wanted to create a very safe environment for them to come into," she said, "because all of our guys come from every single gang in the city."
Malcolm Jackson, the program coordinator, said that about 60 of his clients are employed. Of that number, 10 have gotten their GEDs, five are in college and four are managers on their jobs.
For information about the Young Fathers Initiative conference, contact Rob Layton at (773) 371-2920.
Article copyright REAL TIMES Inc.
Photograph (Rob Layton)
