The Parent Leadership Development Project aims to build public school parents’ leadership capacity. The project was a byproduct of our Make Space for Schools Campaign. The campaign highlighted the power of immigrant parents to lead social change. It also revealed the limited support and opportunities that public school parents have within their schools or the Department Of Education to enhance their leadership.
While there are formal bodies such as the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), School Leadership Team (SLT), or Community Education Council (CEC) where parents can develop their leadership, these formal bodies do not receive much support and parents. So, immigrant parents are left without the tools to be able to build power within these formal bodies.
The purpose of this project is to foster and strengthen the leadership skills of immigrant parents. The project offers parents training to develop public speaking skills, learn engaging facilitation techniques, devise creative outreach strategies, and design campaigns to organize other parents. The project provides immigrant parents with a space for personal growth and empowerment. We believe that building the leadership skills of immigrant parents will ensure that their voices are heard. And that they will have a long-lasting impact on our schools and communities.
