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Activate: National Early Childhood Advocacy Network

                               

Stephanie Harmon                                                          Diamond Miles

 

In November, Stephanie Harmon and Diamond Miles were selected to represent the Read Muskegon Literacy Collaborative as part of a new initiative launched by the National Center for Families Learning (NCLF).  Activate: National Early Childhood Advocacy Network is bringing together teams of parents and early childhood practitioners from 10 communities throughout the country to reimagine and reform equitable systems for families.  Stephanie and Diamond travelled to Dallas for the program kick-off and returned full of energy, ideas and connections. They will each be a part of a national cohort of other parents and practitioners that are working on the same focus area and will also meet monthly with NCFL and Read Muskegon staff for support.  Diamond will be participating in a group looking at the connections between mental and physical health as related to early literacy and childhood racial inequities. Stephanie’s group will be focused on the school to prison pipeline.  We are so thankful to both of these women for stepping up to take on this work and excited to support them in their efforts.

 

National Model Program Coming to Muskegon Heights

Beginning in early 2022, Read Muskegon, in partnership with the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL), will bring the researched-based Family Service Learning program to Muskegon Heights.  This program is a national model focused on project based learning through community-led service. It has been shown to engage families in building content knowledge, work-based skills, leadership skills, and in increasing self-efficacy and social networks.  After piloting the program for 8 weeks with 10 families in Muskegon Heights, Read Muskegon hopes to expand to a year round program offered throughout Muskegon County.

Thank you to the Community Foundation for Muskegon County for their support in bringing this innovative literacy program to our community.

Literacy Collaborative Community Summit: What Happened? What Comes Next?

On February 23rd, over 100 community members joined together to focus their collective wisdom, creative problem-solving skills, and resources to tackle the literacy crisis that exists in Muskegon County.  Here’s a brief recap of the event and an opportunity to get involved.


Melissa Moore, Read Muskegon’s Executive Director, started by sharing some statistics to create a vision of the literacy landscape in Muskegon County. “Illiteracy is one of the most complex, interconnected, and deeply-rooted issues we face as a nation, ” Moore said. “It’s an issue of social justice, because those who cannot read cannot equally participate in our society.” She challenged attendees to be “disrupters” in the generational cycle of illiteracy.

Sharon Darling, founder and CEO of the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL), applauded Muskegon County for their collaborative efforts to tackle illiteracy and said she would like to see it become a model for the nation. She called literacy the stem of the flower whose petals are issues like welfare, health care, and criminal justice reform that rely on the strong base of literacy to keep blooming. She noted that while our country’s literacy statistics have been going backwards, we know what to do and the time is now to start doing it.

 

Poppy Sias-Hernandez, Equity & Inclusion Officer for Governor Whitmer, remarked that equity is the outcome of diversity and inclusion and that we need to continue our efforts to create equitable education and other systems that support everyone. She said that equity happens through collective efforts, when people bring their grit, talent and resources to the creation of solutions.

 

 

Rosa Guzman-Snyder, Director of Community Development for NCFL, presented a timeline of the work that has been done by the literacy collaborative and the vision for moving forward.  She set the stage for attendees to participate in breakout room conversations focused on 3 areas as they relate to tackling illiteracy: Economic Opportunity & Workforce Development: coordination of adult learning opportunities leading to family-sustaining wages, Education: mobilizing as a community to support our schools and ensure families have what they need to help their children succeed, and Neighborhoods & Community Leadership: utilizing existing networks to bridge the gap between needs and services. Input from the breakout sessions will be used by the collaborative work groups to create short and long-term action plans.

 

Breakout Session Summaries
You can read summaries of each of the sessions and the “BIG IDEAS” that started to emerge by clicking the links below.

Education Summary

Economic Opportunity Summary

Neighborhoods & Community Leadership Summary

 

Are YOU ready to be part of the SOLUTION? 

It’s going to take all of us working together to create real, sustainable change. Click the link below to sign up for a Read Muskegon Literacy Collaborative work group or to share a “Big Idea”.

 

CLICK HERE TO GET INVOLVED

Our Statement on Systemic Racism

 

 

The recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others have shocked and outraged people around the world. Sadly, these are just three names among thousands. At Read Muskegon, our board and staff stand united in condemning the systemic racism that allowed these killings to occur and that has silenced the voices of so many.

Literacy has long been used as a method of social control and oppression. Anti-literacy laws were put in place in the early 1800’s specifically making it illegal to teach slaves to read. Why were they so concerned about slaves learning to read? Because with this skill, slaves could access information through newspapers and books. They could understand their rights and organize against oppression. Slave owners wanted to keep their slaves uneducated because they understood that literacy represents power. Today, the lingering impact of these laws still surges through our black communities as they struggle disproportionately with illiteracy.

At Read Muskegon, our commitment is to ensure that every single person in Muskegon County has the opportunity to learn to read to the very best of their ability. That commitment has never stopped. But, in light of where we find our country today, it is more important than ever that we work side by side with our community partners to make sure that literacy is never a barrier but rather a powerful means to an impactful life. We will continue to use our platform, our knowledge, and our resources to be part of the solution to addressing systemic racism.

We Need Your Voice – March 26th Literacy Collaborative Convening

Read Muskegon Literacy Collaborative Convening

Thursday, March 26th, 9:00 -11:30

Hilt Building, 425 W. Western Ave, Muskegon

 

There is a literacy crisis in Muskegon County
and it is time to take dramatic, focused action to combat it.

 

Over the past 12 months, members of the Read Muskegon Literacy Collaborative have been working in partnership with the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) to assess the literacy landscape in Muskegon County through interviews, surveys and community focus groups. What did we find?  We’re doing a lot of things right and we’ve got a lot of great programs ready to support our communities.  But, we also found a lot of gaps in service and systemic challenges that are creating barriers to success for our most vulnerable learners, across their life span.

Join us on March 26th – 

  • Official release of findings from NCFL’s research
  • Updates from our first three Action Teams: Steering Committee, Public Awareness & Integrated Continuum of Services
  • Partner Networking & Marketplace: an opportunity to share ideas, form new action teams, and find out how you can be part of the change.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

If you are interested in sharing relevant information during the Marketplace or have questions about the collaborative please contact Melissa Moore.  melissa.moore@readmuskegon.org or 231-830-5539

 

Read Muskegon Literacy Collaborative Steering Committee

  • Karen Blackledge – Muskegon Area District Libraries
  • LaTonya Beene – United Way
  • Tammy Britton – Talent 2025
  • Jane Clingman-Scott – Community Advocate
  • Jim Fisher – Second Act
  • Liz Garman – Baker College
  • DJ Hilson – Muskegon County Prosecutor
  • Jill Irwin – White Lake Community Education – Early Childhood
  • Logan Jensen – Mercy Health/CHIR
  • Cynthia Langlois – Muskegon Community College
  • Carl Lewis – Goodwill
  • Amy Moore – Community Foundation for Muskegon County
  • Melissa Moore – Read Muskegon
  • Kathy Rohlman – West MI Works!
  • Michelle Wahlberg – MAISD Literacy Coach
  • Pat Walstra – Region 4 Adult Education
  • Jonathan Wilson – DTE Energy/Read Muskegon Board Chair
  • Holly Windram – Michigan Reading Corps
  • Joe Zappocosta – Hackley Library