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Blog

Teens Talk, Leaders Listen: The Power of Youth Voice at Grand Rapids KidSpeak

May 6, 2021

The stories were often gripping, and always poignant. During last week’s KidSpeak in Grand Rapids, Jesus Garcia addressed community and government leaders via Zoom, and crushed it with a poetic…

Missing Michele: The ‘Inspiring Child Advocate and Indomitable Force’

April 9, 2021

Speaking for Kids

Question: What is the definition of a child advocate? Answer: Michele Robotham Corey Michele Corey came on the staff of Michigan’s Children in the late 1990s while she was still…

Remembering Michele Corey

April 8, 2021

Speaking for Kids

‘Michele Didn’t Talk-the-Talk on Making Systems More Anti-Racist; She Walked-the-Walked’ This past month has been incredibly challenging. Today marks one month since Michele’s passing. In that same month, we’ve seen…

With a ‘Bee in Her Bonnet,’ Michele Corey was the Ultimate Champion for the People

April 8, 2021

Speaking for Kids

Michigan lost another brilliant soul. But we have not lost her wisdom. As a person, colleague, and advocate, Michele Corey was a role model. Michele grew up on dirt floors,…

Engaging Advocates across Michigan, and Lessons Learned about Outreach

March 19, 2021

Speaking for Kids

A few months ago I was brought on board to a new position at Michigan’s Children as regional engagement and mobilization associate and tasked with engaging organizations and people in…

It’s a New Legislative Season: Review Michigan’s Children’s Updated Policy Playbook and Join our Work

March 11, 2021

Speaking for Kids

Today we launch our Policy Playbook for the 2021-2022 Legislative Season and welcome you to review our priorities to assess where you can join the advocacy work necessary to improve…

Lessons from the Pandemic, and Making Michigan a Top State to Have and Raise a Baby

February 26, 2021

Speaking for Kids

There’s no doubt a single voice with a compelling message can be influential and stir change, but a chorus of voices? That’s influence amplified. Last week Michigan’s Children and other…

Out-of-School Time is Key to the Public Good of Education

February 12, 2021

Speaking for Kids

COVID changed the look of school, at least for now, and reminded us that a student’s out-of-school and in-school lives are one and the same. Making remote learning work in…

Winning Plays for Moving Policymakers to Advocacy Champions

January 29, 2021

Speaking for Kids

As advocates, we’re all looking for that saving grace, the lawmaker(s) who rises up to champion an issue, bill, appropriation, or rule change that makes life better for the children,…

Governance and Leadership: We have an obligation and a responsibility to make change

January 20, 2021

Speaking for Kids

January 20, 2021 – In her book, Leadership in Tumultuous Times, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin chronicles four America Presidents and their leadership legacies and asks the questions- “Are leaders born…