On Friday, February 20, KConnect and the Michigan League for Public Policy co-hosted Turn the Curve, a hands-on advocacy workshop at Kent ISD. The event brought together participants from January’s PACE (Policy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement) Convening, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?, to move from reflection to action, building on shared insights to develop concrete strategies and coordinated tactics that advance our Shared Policy Agenda.
At the January PACE Convening, three priorities emerged as essential to child and family well-being in Kent County and anchored Turn the Curve’s work:
- K-12 Education Funding
- Housing Stability
- Keeping Kids Safe and Healthy
Participants were also invited to reflect on the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?:
“Our nettlesome task is to discover how to organize our strength into compelling power so that government cannot elude our demands. We must develop, from strength, a situation in which the government finds it wise and prudent to collaborate with us. It would be the height of naïveté to wait passively until the administration had somehow been infused with such blessings of goodwill that it implored us for ourprograms. The first course is grounded in mature realism; the other is childish fantasy.”
This reflection set the tone for the workshop. While dialogue is essential, coordinated action is what drives lasting change.
Dr. Shayla Young, KConnect’s Vice President of Policy, Advocacy, & Community Engagement, opened the session with a reminder that progress requires building political will and moving beyond awareness to intentional action that shifts systems. To support this shift, participants completed the Movement Alignment Self-Assessment™, a personal evaluation tool designed to help network members assess how and where they are currently engaged across communities, policies, and priorities. The tool prompted reflection on engagement at multiple levels, including community, county, regional, state, and federal efforts.
“Action-oriented conversations matter, but real change happens when we put our words into motion,” said Dr. Shayla Young. “Turn the Curve is about committing to concrete steps that will improve outcomes for children and families in Kent County. Together, we’re building the future we want to see, one where every child and family has the opportunity and support to thrive no matter their starting point.”
In January, participants discussed how current policies are affecting children and families in Kent County and identified the most pressing threats to children’s well-being. Themes included funding crises and resource scarcity, disconnects between policy and practice, and growing fear and distrust alongside concerns about family stability, education inequities, and health and safety risks.
These insights helped ground the Turn the Curve workshop in the real and urgent challenges facing children, families, and community organizations.
“The purpose of Turn the Curve is to put our thoughts into action,” said Jayme Vosovic, Community Engagement Director at MLPP. “In January, we learned about the issues that are facing our communities, and now we want to take that insight and see what we can do to make an impact on our communities.”
After these discussions set the stage, the workshop shifted fully into action. Participants broke into groups aligned with the three priority areas (K-12 Education Funding, Housing Stability, and Keeping Kids Safe and Healthy) to identify what action could be taken. Each group brainstormed potential actions, identified partners and resources, and voted on the most urgent tactics to pursue.
By the end of the day, participants had done more than exchange ideas. They committed to clear, concrete next steps and to working together to put those plans into motion in the weeks ahead. KConnect’s Shared Policy Agenda will be updated to reflect the conversations and action items.
This is what community in action looks like, and the work is just beginning. You can learn more at our upcoming Accountability Partners Council meeting on May 14, 2026, and sign up for the KConnect newsletter at www.k-connect.org/events. Stay connected to learn what’s next and how you can be part of turning this shared vision into real, measurable impact.