Jobs for Dads is a job readiness and employment program created to help fathers transition from prison to home and employment.  The program offers participants an assessment of educational level and job skills, matches skills to potential jobs and defines barriers to employment.  Job Readiness classes provide information on finding the right job, creating a resume, interview skills, proper job behavior, handling family/job responsibilities, etc.  Case management services are also provided to assist in locating resources for individual/family needs.  Interview and work clothing is provided by Suited for Men, a program operated by Passages.

The Connecting Fathers and Sons program sponsors a weekend retreat year each year during the summer for fathers and their sons.  The Passages program connects fathers from throughout Cleveland who are incarcerated in an Ohio prison with their children.

The program utilizes a variety of tools to facilitate communication between incarcerated fathers and their children:  letter-writing, tape-recorded messages, holiday/special occasion cards and photographs.  The program provides group activities for children locally and will periodically assist in the transportation of children to visit with their fathers in prison.  In addition, the program staff will coordinate with prison pre-release programs, providing materials to be included in their discussions with fathers preparing to re-enter the community.

The program will not be exclusively for individuals who are incarcerated; it will be open to all fathers and children who have been referred to the program.  Program staff will also advocate for the availability of appropriate reading materials in prison visitation rooms.

The Black and Brown Dialogues are a series of dialogues between African American fathers and sons and Latino fathers and sons.  This community gathering happens once every two months and rotates locations on Cleveland's East and West sides.  Nueva Luz Urban Resource Center, on the West side and Passages Inc on the East side collaborated to develop the Dialogue series in 2007.  Both of these community-based organizations prioritize fatherhood and family in their missions and work.

The goal of the Black and Brown Dialogues is to bring together urban minority fathers and sons to explore cultural and racial themes, life skills, fatherhood and self identity. 

Reverend Dr. B.A. Moore
Passages Connecting Fathers and Sons
216.881.6776 office
3631 Perkins, Suite 4HE
Cleveland, OH 44114

drbamoore@passages-oh.org
www.passages-oh.org