Young Dads TV: Digital voices of young fathers

Abstract

There exist a number of discourses surrounding young fathers that, until recently, have been dominated by professionals and academics, leaving young fathers with no forum for their own voices. Young Dads TV (2010-13) provided a major corrective to this state of affairs, giving young fathers their own collective voice through the power of the media and the internet. This voice continues with the Young Dads Council (2013-present), an advocacy project that employs young fathers to reduce the poverty and isolation of their peers. This paper describes the challenges of providing an 'authentic' voice for an isolated community and the opportunities offered by digital technology.