This year’s Social Development Men’s Conference was about finding inner strength and moving beyond stagnating situations.

Although the topics were serious, the June 23 conference was packed with fun-filled activities that most students remembered from growing up. Limbo contests and games of musical chairs were used to demonstrate the necessary skills to be competitive in today’s job market and the importance of being a team player. Held at the end of the month, there also was an emphasis on the Father’s Day celebration that happened the following weekend.

R. Dale Evans is the family self-sufficiency counselor for the Housing Authority of Joliet. He was the keynote speaker of the conference, and he talked to the students about making good decisions that they would not regret later in life.

“I became a father in my early 20s,” Mr. Evans said. “I was not ready to take on the responsibility of being a dad.”

Mr. Evans explained that he did not pay attention to some important warning signs while raising his daughter, and she took the wrong path. “She and her boyfriend were in a high-speed chase with the police,” he said. “Her boyfriend lost control of the car. A week later, I buried my daughter.”

Mr. Evans urged the students not to allow their personal feelings to cloud the facts when making decisions. And he encouraged the fathers in the audience to be involved in their children’s lives.

David Collins is a Joliet teacher, and he also spoke at the event. He told the students that they could be  

their own super heroes if they acknowledged the pain in their lives while refusing to let it control their futures. Collins encouraged the students to set goals and choose to meet each one wholeheartedly and unapologetically.

At the end of the conference, the students had many new resources to take them to the next level in their personal growth and development. Each student also received a wonderful gift bag filled with personal care and hygiene products.