Mobilisation & Action – Parent Power workshops
Reimagining connections: Building community
Parent Power is a visionary initiative that is transforming the way communities, parents, schools, and the broader ecosystem connect with one another. By reimagining these connections, we aim to build strong and vibrant communities where every voice is heard and valued.
We believe that advocacy requires agency and that partnership between schools and parents is a key lever in seeing change in schools. We work alongside communities to create opportunities for meaningful engagement and collaboration, empowering parents, and schools to become agents of change within their communities. We understand that systemic change has many story arcs, and we invite all voices to engage in the process of shaping these stories.
Our work at Parent Power is centered around building a learning space where everyone can come together to share their experiences and perspectives. We recognize that this is not just important for our internal team, but also for the schools in which we work. Through our programs and initiatives, we are seeing a shift in the way parents engage with their children and their schools, which is creating a more positive and supportive environment for everyone.
In 2022 we worked with 5 schools in the rural North West. The schools consisted of Ganyesa Primary School, Ipokeng Secondary School, Makapanstad Primary School, Sensako Primary School and Thutong Primary School. The overarching goal of the workshops is to provide parents and schools with a safe space to renegotiate their relationship to ensure that it is one that is built on trust and mutual understanding for the benefit of their learners. Furthermore, to provide parents with information and skills about constructive pathways for action at the school level to ensure that parents are able to channel their energy in ways that lead to progress in schools. Through our workshops, we have seen parents become more engaged and active in their children’s education, leading to improved outcomes for students and a stronger sense of community and partnership between parents and schools.
In December 2022, we visited the 5 schools we have worked with throughout the year. The intention of this visit was to hand over a pledge to the schools and to share the very first Parent Power reflection book which shares the experiences, lessons and voices of the parents, schools and team who were part of the 2022 pilot.
Parent Power believes that deep and constructive dialogue happens when we come together in community. When we connect with others in spaces of collectivism, we have the opportunity to build empathy, discover our identities, explore our agency, and understand our influence. To further expand our reach and deepen our impact, we initiated the school-parent partnership journey in 2023, which aims to support 50 new schools. This journey covers a wide range of topics and provides resources and tools to help champion parents continue the important work of reimagining connections.
Through this journey, we have gained a deeper understanding of the stories and experiences of parents, and we recognize that building community requires deep listening, understanding, and connection. As we embark on this journey to work with more schools, we have created a comprehensive training guide that will be implemented across 50 schools in the North West region. Our training guide is designed to help parents and schools build stronger partnerships, foster deeper connections, and work together to create positive change in their communities. Reimagining connections is not something we do in a singular way but rather requires the collective to come to together and envision how different our spaces and growth can be. We believe that by working together in this way, we can strengthen the connections between communities, schools, parents and teachers.
Parent Power believes that deep and constructive dialogue happens when we come together in community. When we connect with others in spaces of collectivism, we have the opportunity to build empathy, discover our identities, explore our agency, and understand our influence. To further expand our reach and deepen our impact, we initiated the school-parent partnership journey in 2023, which aims to support 50 new schools. This journey covers a wide range of topics and provides resources and tools to help champion parents continue the important work of reimagining connections.
Through this journey, we have gained a deeper understanding of the stories and experiences of parents, and we recognise that building community requires deep listening, understanding, and connection. As we embark on this journey to work with more schools, we have created a comprehensive training guide that will be implemented across 50 schools in the North West region. Our training guide is designed to help parents and schools build stronger partnerships, foster deeper connections, and work together to create positive change in their communities.
Reimagining connections is not something we do in a singular way but rather requires the collective to come to together and envision how different our spaces and growth can be. We believe that by working together in this way, we can strengthen the connections between communities, schools, parents and teachers.