In March, the COFI Institute trained staff and leaders of community organizations in Phase 2: Train the Trainer: Community Outreach & Action. Participants were introduced to the COFI model of Family Focused Organizing and how to support community residents to lead the way in creating tangible victories in their communities. They learned skills to build a team of community residents, do one-on-one relationship building interviews, map a community, including a power analysis and choose an issue campaign. Trainees teamed up with a group of parent leaders from St. Joseph’s Head Start to put their training skills into action and went door-to-door surveying families in the Back of the Yards community. We were excited to welcome participants from Wisconsin, Michigan, Chicago, West Chicago, East St. Louis and Dallas.

COFI’s Phase 2 training was a follow-up to the Phase 1: Train the Trainer: Self, Family & Team which was held in October. Participants joined us from Alaska, Chicago, several Chicago suburbs, East St. Louis, Michigan, Minneapolis, Wisconsin, and Boston.

Find more information on COFI’s training and consulting programs here or email us at cofi@cofionline.org.