A new parenting initiative aims to “transform the face of fatherhood in Bermuda”, beginning with a pancake breakfast this morning.

The All Pro Dad Bermuda launch event, taking place from 9.30am at the Fairmont Southampton hotel, will offer a bonding experience for fathers, father figures and children aged 5 to 17.

Guest speaker will be Mark Merrill, who co-founded non-profit organisation Family First in 1991 to provide marriage and parenting advice.

All Pro Dad is Family First’s fatherhood programme, which began in 1997 as a collaboration between Mr Merrill and Super Bowl-winning American football coach Tony Dungy.

Mr Merrill, visiting the island from Tampa, Florida, said that the aim of APD Bermuda was to strengthen the family unit and, by extension, society.

“We really believe that every child should know the love of a mum and a dad,” the father-of-five said.

“That’s why we’re here this weekend, to motivate the men of Bermuda to stand out as fathers.”

Mr Merrill pointed to statistics which suggest that children brought up without fathers are significantly more likely to drop out of school, become pregnant in their teens and go to prison.

He called fatherlessness “a cyclical issue” which is growing in both the United States and Bermuda.

“If we can break that cycle and change the mindset, we can create a new legacy — one in which men stand up and lead their family with love,” he added.

Mr Merrill praised adults who fill the gap by becoming father figures to children whose biological father isn’t in their lives.

“We want to coach them up, and show those children what it means to be a man and a good father,” he said. “The goal is to start an All Pro Dad chapter in each and every school on the island. We’re looking to transform the face of fatherhood in Bermuda.”

Pat McDermott, community engagement specialist at All Pro Dad, said that the pancake breakfast aimed to raise men’s awareness of their importance as fathers, as well as providing a simple opportunity to spend time with their children. He added that fear of the unknown often prevented fathers from fully integrating themselves into their children’s lives.

“It’s not that they don’t want to be dads, it’s that many of them don’t know how,” Mr McDermott said.

Anthony Roberts, chairman of APD Bermuda, said that demand for the event had seen them up capacity from 400 to 460 seats.

He said: “A lot of dads are in the home, but still absent in the lives of their children.

“You may think that just providing for them is sufficient, but it’s not. These are the future leaders of our communities and countries, and we have to make sure they’re prepared.”