Dad who is tackling toxic masculinity nominated for Pride of Britain award
Kevin Stoodley founded revolutionary project to help'overlooked' young dads gain confidence and parenting skills has helped over 700 men since launch
A father of two who launched a revolutionary project helping young dads in the North East has been nominated for a Pride of Britain Local Hero award.
Founded by Kevin Stoodley, North East Young Dads and Lads (NEYDL) in Gateshead, gives social, financial and practical support to fathers under the age of 25 from across the region.
Working with just 10-12 young dads when it launched in 2017, the project now helps more than 250 men annually.
And Kevin, who originates from Birmingham, says he has made it his life's work to tackle the kind of toxic masculinity promoted by influencer Andrew Tate.
The Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards with P&O Cruises celebrate the nation's unsung heroes, from children of courage and heroic blue light workers to local heroes such as Kevin.
A former youth worker, Kevin, 49, who has a son Sam, 17, and daughter Freya, 22, now lives in Northumberland and says that, after moving to the North East in his twenties and later working on a project supporting young mums, he realised there was little support for young dads in the Gateshead area.
He tells The Mirror: ' I started looking into whether the dads could be supported in any way., connecting them with other young dads through WhatsApp groups.
' What was clear was that the young dads were a problem that needed to be fixed but, actually, they needed support too.
'They are being ignored, overlooked by services and unfairly judged.
" What I encountered was young men who were really isolated. Often, young dads don't meet other young dads. It's historically the case that being a young parent is something to be derided and caricatured as feckless.'
Almost all the young men who access the charity—91 per cent—experience isolation and loneliness.
Kevin, who is married to Ancha, 49, realised young dads also needed support in areas such as housing, parenting and relationship skills and mental health. They needed advice around social care and court proceedings.
He says: "My son Sam is the same age as the young dads we work with. I see the challenges they go through - like being seen in a negative light - when all they need is support.'
He also thinks young dads feel they don't deserve the same support as young mums.
"As a first-time parent in my late twenties, I recall having questions for the health visitor or midwife, and not being given that time to ask them or to learn, because the focus was certainly much more on mother—and child,' he says.
'I didn't face the level of stigma that younger dads face now. We live in a world at the moment where there's an awful lot of focus on the negativity about young men, in terms of the landscape, in terms of Andrew Tate, in terms of the response to the recent Netflix series Adolescence, which looks at toxic masculinity in children.
"We often encounter young men who historically have been written off because of their lives and their choices, their age and where they live.
'But what we're seeing at NEYDL is that these young men, with the right support, can absolutely flourish and make a positive contribution to their families, their children, but also to society.'
Some of the young fathers Kevin has supported have even gone on to work for the project, helping other young dads.
The group, which was set up in 2017, offers activities for young dads where they can open up in a non-pressurised environment, as well as offering toddler play sessions that they can bring their kids to. This year, so far, NEYDL, which is a charity, has worked with 250 young dads.
In all, the team of 16 employees, plus more than 100 volunteers, have worked face-to-face with 700 plus dads.
"We also have an award winning e-learning platform called Digi Dad, which is reaching young men across the country and beyond,' says Kevin.
'What we're trying to do is create cultural change - a real shift in thinking. trying to raise men's sense of self and sense of belonging. So these young men now are more confident to ask for help and to expect a quality of care that they never had before from services.'
How to nominate
Local heroes have been at the heart of Pride of Britain for the past 26 years
.Do you know someone like Kevin who goes the extra mile to change lives inyour community? Nominate them now for a Pride of Britain Award.The This Morning Local Hero award is for an individual or group that goes to remarkable lengths to help people around them in their local area.There is a full list of categories on the website, and the Pride of Britain team will consider every nomination, before compiling a shortlist for the judging panel.
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