“I know firsthand that El modelo de COFI is life-changing. If we really want to talk about change in the world, there needs to be a greater investment in it.”

Meet Ms. Rose! She is the proud mother of two now-adult daughters, plus one, Grandmother of three and a longtime activist in her South Side Englewood community, the COFI Board President and Chair, and President-Emeritus of POWER-PAC IL.

For over 20 years, she’s been a COFI-trained parent leader. For many years , she’s been a COFI Parent Peer Trainer, training organizers at the COFI Center for Action and Learning, parents in Illinois, and traveling across the country to train parents and organizational leaders.

You can read and learn more about how Ms. Rose got started with El modelo de COFI aquí.

Helping Trainers and Parents See Their Gifts

If you’ve trained with Ms. Rose at the COFI Center, you know she leads with love.

That same love, she says, is what organizers must bring when working with parents. It’s hard for parents to see their own leadership and gifts when they are navigating complex systems and their voices aren’t always valued by those who hold power. That’s why Fase 1: Uno mismo, Familia y Equipo is so crucial for trainers. It helps trainers pull out the gifts and strengths of their leadership.

“Trainers and organizers are some of the folks that can help parents see those things, because they’re pulling it out of them,” she said.

The Dream: Building Parent Power Worldwide

Over the years, Ms. Rose has trained groups from Boston to Los Angeles. She gushes over the organizations using El modelo de COFI to work with parents and meet their communities’ needs.

“I think about the folks in Miami and in Boston. So many places have taken our training, and they’ve gone to the next level,” she said. “Our training gives organizations the tools to work with parents and come up with a sound strategy for success in their community.”

That’s why her dream is for parents and organizations to be able to focus on the “excellence of this training” without worrying about funding. She wants to see El modelo de COFI go worldwide and invites funders and organizations to invest in this life-changing work.

“El éxito de nuestros 30 años se debe a la voz de los padres, que son los verdaderos expertos en afrontar los retos de la vida y merecen respeto.”

¿Te interesa fortalecer el poder de los padres e incorporar el Método COFI a tu misión? Obtén más información sobre COFI Center for Action and Learning y próximos entrenamientos.