Whether you’re a dad with daughters, a single parent, or a new mum, being a parent can be an isolating experience. That experience can be even harder during times like this when it best to #StayAtHome and avoid physical contact with others. Due to this, numerous parents turn to support groups with other parents might be in the same boat.

DID YOU KNOW?
More than 800,000 people in Malaysia are part of an active parenting groups on Facebook.

 

Facebook groups can provide a safe space for parents to come together to share support, education and resources. Numerous parents have come together to share laughter, words of encouragement and support for one another, especially during this challenging time.

 

For example, Joshua Hong founded Better Dads Malaysia, a non-profit organisation driving a national movement for fathers in Malaysia to equip fathers and father-figures with resources, programs and an environment to build interaction, knowledge, support, skills so that they can better communicate and connect with their children.

 

Beyond being a space where dads can exchange stories and share learnings, the group also provides emotional, educational and community support to men through a shared WhatsApp group. To-date, the group with almost 100 fathers who share information, articles and advice on topics and situations such as mental health and parenting teenagers.

Intrigued with the Malaysian-based ‘dad-focused’ group, we got in touch with Jason Leong and Joshua Hong, Co-Founders of Better Dads Malaysia to tell us more about their group, their mission and vision as well as their hopes for this new group.

Tell us more about Better Dads Malaysia, what is the mission and vision of the group?

• Better Dads Malaysia is a non-profit organization that is designed to initiate, lead and coordinate a national movement for fathers in Malaysia that helps improve the quality of life for families and children by motivating, mobilizing and equipping fathers and father-figures to be the best they can be. In this way, fathers and father-figures can be inspired to take action to play the important role in building resilience, self-respect, positive self-worth and emotional intelligence in their children.
• We are intentionally designed to be inclusive, reflecting the diversity of races, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural composition of Malaysia. We encourage anyone who sees themselves as a father-figure in any context to become involved with Better Dads Malaysia.
• Better Dads Malaysia is on a mission to transform communities by inspiring and equipping fathers with the necessary tools to proactively engage in their children’s lives, working towards their vision for every child in Malaysia to grow up with an involved, committed, and responsible father.

 

 

“I started off as a less-than-average father. I thought the traditional role of a father as a provider and protector of the family was sufficient – but reality is that this is not enough, wives and children will be the first to tell you that. I spent a lot of time running my own professional advisory firm advising prominent companies on their corporate reputation but the irony is that my personal reputation as a father in the eyes of my family was poor and lacked engagement. My corporate clients saw the best of me while my family saw the worst when I got home because of fatigue – I was physically present but emotionally absent. I realised that I cannot go on living a lifestyle focused on ‘making a living’ but rather it should be about ‘making a life’ instead” says Jason Leong, Co-Founder of Better Dads Malaysia.

 

 

Do you think that Malaysian dads care enough to join groups about parenting?

• Parenting groups are fantastic for support however when men are grouped with their wives or mothers – the dynamic becomes very different. We see that fathers-only groups, like our globally recognised and accredited ICAN Fathering Workshop which caters exclusively for men in both English and Mandarin, work effectively in encouraging more authentic sharing between men as they feel safer engaging in discussions with the other fathers in the room. We hope to start conducting our workshop in Bahasa Malaysia soon and deliver resources, training, equipment and empowerment to fathers and father-figures in more communities. 

 

 

How do you plan to get more dads to care and get involved in parenting and being better dads?

• We are looking forward to expanding our online engagement on social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram that will help us connect with more dads in Malaysia and raise awareness for the cause. Currently, we have a WhatsApp group that provides emotional, educational and community support to almost 100 fathers where we share information, articles and advice on topics and situations such as mental health and parenting teenagers.
• When the pandemic hit, we hosted a series of Facebook Live sessions where we discuss topics ranging from how fathers can communicate with their children about Covid-19 and how to de-escalate family conflicts. We also managed to conduct our ICAN Fathering Workshop online via Zoom.
• In the coming months, Better Dads Malaysia will be launching a book (and e-book) titled ‘Towards Malaysia’s National Day: How Do Fathers Teach Patriotism To Their Children?’ in conjunction with Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day along with a series of online discussions on how fathers can be more involved in encouraging nation building with their children. 

 

What can dads expect when they join Better Dads Malaysia?

• We are a non-profit organisation that provides resources, programs and events specific to the engagement style and needs of dads and father-figures. We also organise bonding events for dads to spend meaningful time with their children. 
• Better Dads Malaysia is also looking to expand our work with the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) and relevant ministries to positively promote the importance of good fathering through the formation of Better Dads groups in schools, corporations and communities to provide a platform where fathers can come together to build interaction, knowledge and support. 

 

 

Lastly, what are your hopes for the group?

• Better Dads Malaysia aims to support and drive the national conversation for fathers in Malaysia to equip fathers and father-figures with resources, programs and an environment to build interaction, knowledge, support, skills so that they can better communicate and connect with their children. We hope that with the expansion of our ICAN Fathering Workshop and online engagement across social media platforms, we are able to reach and empower more dads across Malaysia to join the positive fathering movement as we believe that strong families are pivotal to building strong communities. 

 

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NEW FACEBOOK GROUP TYPE

Recently, Facebook launched a new group type – parenting, to make it easier for parents to discover the right communities by making it safer and easier to engage with them.

This new group type allows admins to select the parenting group type, and they will be able to unlock access to three unique features customised to the parenting experience. With these new features, parents can feel more comfortable when speaking about their personal journey, easily identify content that’s important to them, and seek or share advice with others.

• Anonymous Post: Parents can now discuss sensitive topics without revealing their identity. If you’re looking to share or receive feedback related to dealing with the loss of a child or financial concerns, you can now do so anonymously.

• Badging: Parents can choose to identify as a “New Parent” or “Expecting Parent” to find the right community and connect more closely with other parents who are in similar situations.

• Mentorship: Parenting group administrators can create an online mentoring program and match mentors to mentees seamlessly.