BRUNSWICK, Ga. — There's a movement underway at one of Glynn County's lowest performing schools in the district, Burroughs-Molette Elementary.
Ninety-seven percent of its students are living at-or-below the poverty line. It’s located in the Perry Park neighborhood of Brunswick, Georgia, which is a high crime area.
But there are fathers there stepping up together, learning how to break generational cycles, becoming leaders within their families and setting an example for their community.
Dyeon Cook knows his way around Burroughs-Molette Elementary. He’s the school’s lead custodian, and his son is also a fifth grader at BME.
Cook describes himself as a ‘cool dad.’ So when the two see each other in the hallway, “It's a hi dad,” Cook said with a smile.
“We have a whole little conversation. And it's good to see because it helps with the other kids as well in the school that don't have fathers. A lot of them come to me for advice.”
He’s comfortable in his role now as a father but says seven years ago following an arduous legal battle, when he was granted custody of his son and daughter he was had no idea how to navigate the ups and downs of fatherhood.
"Initially, I was freaked out,” Cook said. “I had never heard of anybody, especially a man getting custody of their kids. All the stories I heard as a child was women are going to win. I know dads as not being nurturing. So I didn't think that I would have the tools to do what was actually needed for them.”
"I think our dads sometimes get the short end of the stick,” Mavis Jaudon, Principal at BME said. “We always hear moms are present and we have absent fathers. What I've learned in this process is they're not necessarily absent. They just don't know what to do. They don't know how to navigate through the system and a lot of times with men they struggle with saying 'hey I need help'. But this group of men they were actually asking for help."
Jaudon says it was evident in the turnout of their Father’s Walk in April, that her student’s fathers want to be more involved in their children’s education.
In the middle of Brunswick's Perry Park neighborhood, just under 90 fathers showed up to walk their kids to school. She believes the movement underway inside of her school is spilling out into the community.
“It was just something to see, it felt like waves and waves of dads,” Jaudon said. “They were in line waiting to get started. We had dads holding their child's hand, some had their child riding on their backs. It was just an awesome sight.”
The momentum continued with a Brunswick native, now Atlanta transplant, and a podcast called F I R M; FATHERS INSPIRED RESTORED AND MOTIVATED.
“We started with a podcast and now we're doing workshops and learning sessions,” Nick Clark said. "I'm seeing a place where dads feel support and no judgment. We don't judge you because we all have a story. We're trying to inspire dads too. It's ok to be vulnerable. Reach out for help when you need it."
FIRM facilitates workshops at BME where fathers speak freely about their experiences and learn about helpful parenting resources.
“Literally having dads come in, drop off their kids and staying for a power hour,” FIRM podcast co-host Charles Peterson said. “It's a recharge, a refill for dads.”
“The meeting was great,” Cook said. “It felt so refreshing to have so many fathers and so many men in one area, and it was a cordial, peaceful environment where we were able to talk about some things that we don't normally feel like a guy can talk about because we let pride cover us up a lot of times.”
FIRM’s motto is bringing fathers together through conversations that inspire, restore and motivate them to become leaders in their families and communities.
“Coming to a place where I’m from, being able to do what I love to do, talking about something that is one of the greatest titles I wear (dad) and helping men and communities,” Clark said. “We say it and we say it again. They change communities. We change communities.”
Cook has seen a change in himself over the years since gaining custody of his daughter and son.
"Thinking back on where I came from where we started to where we are now it’s been amazing,” Cook said. “My thing is, I just want to be the best father to my children as possible."
He’s grateful for the outlet and knowledge FIRM provides, and plans to continue to raise not only his own children- but uplift his community.
“I want to encourage people if they have any type of yearning to go out into the community and help kids with coaching, counseling, anything in the community, just do it,” Cook said. “Just do it because they need it.”
To learn more about the FIRM podcast, their programs and how you can get involved, visit their website.