“What I love about El modelo de COFI model is that it’s people-centered. It’s not about listening to me (as the trainer), it’s about the parents digging into themselves and finding transformative pieces.”

A Space Where Parents Could Come Together and Dream

When Fredericka joined her first Phase 1: Self, Family and Team training, hosted by Great Start Collaborative Kent County, she knew she found what she had been looking for as a parent.

“Having that space to be with parents and community members facing the same things as me, it energized me. That sense of community, or sisterhood, with moms showed me I’m not carrying this load alone.”

The group quickly came together to organize a forum around Michigan’s controversial third-grade reading law. It required school districts to hold back third graders who scored too low on reading tests. Fredericka’s group knew parents needed to know before it was too late.

They used skills from their COFI training, such as conducting one-on-ones, to talk with and engage other parents and community members about the new law and succeeded in spreading awareness about it.

From Parent Leader to Organizer

Now, Fredericka is wearing a different hat as an organizer with Urban Core Collective. She is gearing up to lead a group of parents through the same Fase 1 training she took seven years ago.

“What I love about El modelo de COFI model is that it’s people-centered. It’s not about listening to me (as the trainer), it’s about the parents digging into themselves and finding transformative pieces.”

Fredericka will be bringing parents together around education equity and racial justice, and she’s looking forward to guiding them through the model.

“There’s base building, there’s steps to take to bring parents together. It’s bringing all the phases together – like pieces in a puzzle.”

The Dream: Investing in Parents for the Long Haul

Fredericka is part of a growing national movement of parents and organizations using El modelo de COFI to organize in their communities! For COFI’s 30th Anniversary, her dream is to help Michigan parents discover what she did in her first training: Their voices matter, their leadership is powerful, and together, they can turn dreams into action.

“Pour into parents,” she said. “If you’re an organization, make sure you’re in this for the long haul and invest in your parents.”

Aprender más acerca de Urban Core Collective.

Are you interested in building parent power and incorporating The COFI Way into your mission? Learn about the COFI Center for Action and Learning y upcoming trainings.