Mental health, especially among men, is a topic often spoken of in hushed tones … if spoken about at all.

City Dads Group has long advocated the importance of male mental health, asking the subject be brought into the forefront whenever the health and parenting is discussed. We’re happy to learn our friends at Fodada, the dad-oriented clothing company, believe the same with its new Mental Fitness campaign.

“We want to shift the dialogue around mental health to focus on its positive impact. We want to refocus the dialogue to mental fitness. A positive approach,” the company’s website states. Why not? To address your physical fitness, you must continue to work on achieving, maintaining or pushing yourself. All of which are seen as positive steps by society. So why not apply the same concept to our mental fitness?”

The company recently released its “Noggin” T-shirt. It not only looks cool with its lightning bolts above a brain design (and feels super soft against your skin, too), it also carries a literal message on how to encourage a positive conversation on the importance of mental fitness.

“The instructions on how to do it are printed right on the inside of the shirt, under the laundry directions,” Fodada founder Bobby Barzi pointed out to us as he showed off the shirt at the recent Dad 2.0 Summit in San Antonio, Texas, where his company served as a sponsor.

“Talk with your kids – anything, anytime, anywhere. Let them in – share with them about who you are and what you go through. Take care of yourself first — so you can take better care of those you love. Be part of their world, their likes/interests. Give yourself, and them, grace — it’s OK to not be OK,” the shirts reads in part while directing you to a more detailed listed at the Mental Fitness page on the Fodada website.

The shirt and website also ask dad use #ChangeToPositive on social media platforms to share their stories and feedback about how the shirt and the wearer are continuing the conversation.

The shirt sells on the Fodada website for $30.

Barzi started the clothing line in 2012 as a socially aware business to celebrate, promote and support the idea of building  great relationships between fathers and their children. It sponsors many pro-fatherhood initiatives, such as Daddy & Me to promote interactivity between fathers and children. The company name comes from one of his son’s pronunciation of the words “for daddy.”

L.A Dad Group Member Felix Barajas recently attended a Fodada event in Southern California, so we thought it would be a great idea to share his experience and a recent City Dads Group blog post about Fodada’s mission and “fun-raising” initiative. 

My daughter and I had a really great experience at the recent Fodada event hosted at the Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo. We had a wonderful time bonding as a family and getting to experience all the classic cars. We also loved the scavenger hunt, the car building activity, root beer floats, and ice cream! Thank you to Fodada for hosting such a wonderful event. – Felix Barajas, LA Dads Group Member

Fodada does more than just host awesome events – they help children in need by getting parents and kids to do extracurricular activities together that raise funds for a cause. Their unique platform allows you to change the life of a kid with a click of a button. Read more about it in this post by City Dads Group blogger Kevin McKeever.

https://citydadsgroup.com/blog/fodada-kidscholly/

You can help a child in need, in part, by spending more time with your own kid.

Fodada, a nonprofit clothing company that uses its revenues to support programs geared toward fostering relationships between father figures and their children, is backing a “fun-raising” initiative that helps fund extracurricular activities.

Families choose a child seeking a “scholarship” to pay for music lessons. sports equipment or like; create a fun activity to do with their kids; and then ask others to donate to support their work.

The scholarship-seekers have applied through KidScholly, a nonprofit that encourages volunteerism among children as a way to “earn” rewards that pay for extracurriculars.

For more information about this program or to start your own fun-raising campaign, visit the Fodada x KidScholly website.

The clothing line started in 2012 by Bobby Barzi as a socially aware business to celebrate, promote and support the idea of building  great relationships between fathers and their children. It sponsors many pro-fatherhood initiatives, such as Daddy & Me to promote interactivity between fathers and children. The company name comes from one of his son’s pronunciation of the words “for daddy.”