U-Too is a non-profit making enterprise that has been running courses for young-mums-to-be in Swindon and Wiltshire since 2002. The need for a young dads’ course was identified and this has now been running for since 2004. Young fathers in Swindon, Trowbridge, Salisbury and Chippenham have taken part in the programme. Some of them have now moved on to an OCN-accredited Money Management course. The course was developed by U-Too and is being piloted as part of a European Grundtvig project with partners in Ireland, Malta and Hungary.

In summer 2005 one young father on U-Too’s Young Dads programme was interviewed for a DVD made by Stonham Housing Association in Swindon. The DVD explored the experiences of young parents, mostly young women, so it was refreshing to see a young father’s perspective on film. The DVD was shown subsequently at Swindon’s Teenage Pregnancy Conference in December, and the young father co-chaired a workshop based on the DVD. Feedback from conference participants showed how much they valued his involvement, as well as the DVD itself because of the way in which it challenged commonly-held attitudes about young fathers.

Along with two other young men on U-Too’s Young Dads programme in Wiltshire, the same young father has been involved in the production of a second DVD, this time by Wiltshire’s Teenage Young Parents’ Project. The DVD was shown at Wiltshire’s Teenage Pregnancy Conference in Devizes on 23rd May 2006, with the young dads also running a workshop at this event.

U-Too’s Young Dads programmes in Wiltshire are funded by GWR’s Community Fund, and in Swindon are co-funded by ESF and Swindon Borough Council. Further information can be obtained from Mike White on 01793 465409 or at u-tootraining@tiscali.co.uk