The Man in Me, a local organization that focuses on the growth and development of men in the Travis County area, is currently accepting applications for its Fall 2024 Cultivating Fathers cohort, in partnership with South West Key Programs, which starts August 6. This cohort teaches men about parenting, life skills, healthy relationships, mental health, financial literacy, visitation access, career development, and more!
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Isaac Rowe, the Founder and Executive Director of The Man in Me, and learned about how he came to create the organization. His story was unfortunately all too familiar with me. However, he chose a new outcome for himself to break the generational cycle.
Present day, Isaac is an electric designer for an engineering firm. He is happily married with two children and, aside from his 12 year role with The Man in Me, is an author, speaker, and filmmaker. To truly know Isaac, though, we have to go back to his childhood days.
Growing Up
As a child, Isaac Rowe was more of a loner and a peacemaker than a leader. He chose positivity in life and was considered a trustworthy person by parents in the neighborhood. Isaac didn’t have involved parents. His father wasn’t in the picture, and his mother was facing her own personal issues.
Despite this, or maybe because of it, young Isaac was an overall dreamer, always wondering how to create things and new futures. Though he did also have responsibilities, being the oldest of three.
Making a Change
In 2009, Isaac learned from a friend that her son had been acting out recently, and it ended up being because his dad didn’t call him on his birthday. This started Rowe to thinking about several points, one being how the smallest thing could make the largest impact on a child and the second was wondering what exactly would make a man not want to be with his children.
Theres problems that need to be taken care of, but they can’t take care of themselves.
Do they doubt paternity? Do they lack the funds to care for the child(ren)? Do they think they’re not wanted around? “Every person has trauma that we don’t know about. Theres problems that need to be taken care of, but they can’t take care of themselves,” Rowe stated.
Isaac knew something needed to be done. So he accepted the challenge, even without being a father yet himself, to help with these problems as best he could. Isaac vowed to help dads re-enter their children’s lives and be involved in the community.
Hence, The Man in Me was created, providing multiple programs and opportunities for men in the Travis County area, including Men’s Mental Health workshops in partnership with Black Mens Health Clinic on the first Saturday of each month, the Mastering Manhood Conference, and the Daddy & Me dance party.
About Cultivating Fathers
Cultivating Fathers, in partnership with South West Key Programs, is an innovative 8-week program designed to help fathers and father figures with the necessary tools to become responsible parents, who nurture healthy relationships with their children.
For 8 weeks, participants meet in-person twice a week for two hours to cover different topics, with dinner provided. At the end of the cohort, there is a graduation for those who complete the program.
The ideal candidate would be a father 18 or older living in or who has a child in the Travis, Williamson, Hays, or Bastrop counties, and at least one of his children is under the age of 18. He must also be able to meet twice a week from August 6 to September 26. Learn more about the Cultivating Fathers initiative or apply here.
See all the programs provided by Man in Me. Discover how you can participate or help the cause.
