Atlanta Public Schools’ Office of Family Engagement hosted a special event to reach the fathers in the APS community. The Male Engagement Network: Men’s Initiative hosted a resume tips and headshot session at Ralph J. Bunche Middle School to provide job readiness opportunities and skills for fathers and father figures.
Adam McGill, an APS parent, found out about the workshop the day of the event and came right after he got off work. He found the Male Engagement Network session to be very informative.
“I think you can never have too much experience when it comes to your resume or too many sets of eyes,” he said. “I think these sessions are encouraging. You want people in the community and the kids to see stuff going on in the community and be active.”
The men in attendance reviewed sample resumes and discussed how to optimize and curate their resumes for potential job opportunities before getting fresh headshot photos taken.
“This initiative was inspired because there’s a general idea that a lot of women and mothers are primary caretakers of students in the district and men are not as engaged,” APS Family and Engagement liaison Khiray Richards said. “We want to make sure that they are engaged and realize how important they are to the district as well. The Male Engagement Network was developed to make sure we provide those opportunities for them as a safe space to talk about different matters that they might be encountering as men and offer different workshop opportunities.”
Atlanta Public Schools offers a range of services, recognizing that strong families are the foundation of student success. The Male Engagement Network, like other student and family services, is designed to support and empower students’ families, helping them to thrive both at home and in the classroom.