In September, child advocates from across the U.S. gathered in Little Rock, Arkansas, for the Partnership for America’s Children’s annual retreat and to celebrate our tenth anniversary. As the Executive Director, it was a special privilege to host this event in my hometown and share Little Rock’s rich civil rights and organizing history with my esteemed colleagues. This retreat was not just a time for reflection but also a powerful reminder of the enduring strength of this network. I left with immense gratitude for our community of advocates, who lift each other up in service of a shared goal: the well-being of every child.Our members understand this goal deeply and personally. I was struck by the sense of gratitude that they consistently expressed for this network as we celebrated the Partnership’s anniversary together. You can hear from several child advocates directly in the video series on the Partnership’s tenth anniversary page.
Empowering the next generation of leadership
Since its founding a decade ago, the Partnership has worked tirelessly to fulfill the vision of the founding group of executive directors from state and local child advocacy organizations–that advocates are more effective when they learn from and support each other.
Today, we are deepening that commitment by focusing on cultivating the next generation of leaders. While passion fuels this work, many emerging leaders often struggle to see themselves in leadership roles or lack access to the necessary opportunities. To address this, we are creating mentorship and connection opportunities—not just for Executive Directors but for staff members who represent the future of child advocacy. By supporting, training, and connecting these rising leaders, we ensure that our collective impact will endure, and that passionate champions for children are equipped to lead the next generation.
At our annual retreat, we facilitated peer learning and cross-role activities that engaged leaders across the network—executive directors and key staff alike—providing opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, and shared growth.
Shifting Perspectives: Power and Equity in Focus
Another major takeaway from our annual retreat was a deeper and more systematic examination of equity and questioning how power operates in our work. The Partnership’s new Strategy Roadmap reflects our commitment to centering equity in everything we do. During the retreat, CounterPart Consulting led us through sessions that helped us get away from thinking about racial equity in terms of individual actions and exploring how race operates structurally and intersects with other identities as a system of power.
Everyone walked away with different learnings from those sessions, but it was powerful to shift our thinking from individual actions to the structural issues that impact us all. Throughout the rest of the retreat, whether we were discussing internal operations or hot-button political issues, we challenged ourselves to step up on the balcony to consider how power is working in every situation and ask tough questions: Who makes decisions? Who gets a seat at the table? And how does power operate in these scenarios?
Celebrating the Victories of Strong Advocacy
The retreat was also a powerful reminder of what well-supported, resilient advocates can achieve. As we celebrated the Partnership’s tenth anniversary, we also marked the ten-year anniversary of Medicaid expansion in Arkansas—a monumental victory that has provided more than 250,000 people with access to essential healthcare. Before this expansion, Arkansas had one of the highest rates of uninsured people in the country.
This bipartisan achievement, powerfully captured in this new video, exemplifies the perseverance and collaboration that child advocacy requires. It also underscores the lasting impact of our network members, like Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, who have been persistent and powerful voices for children and families.
Honoring Local Realities in Our Advocacy
Our closing session took us to the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, where we reflected on the rich history of the Ninth Street District, once the heart of Black life in Little Rock. Like many Black communities across the U.S., it was decimated by “urban renewal”—a shared struggle that resonates with many of our members.
Every attendee could relate to Ninth Street’s history, each naming examples from their home states, from Tennessee to California to Alabama to Wisconsin. We could also relate to the struggle and resilience of the people we saw in that history, a powerful revelation about the shared history that unites our work across diverse states and communities.
Building Resilience to Foster Change
Our work often centers on policy, but it’s the people behind the policy who make change happen. Building resilience in these advocates is just as critical as the work itself. As a network of peers, the Partnership gives us a space to rest, support, and grow together. Leaving the retreat, we were more determined than ever to amplify our collective impact, accelerate change, lift up best practices, and advance equity. It’s a privilege to be part of a network so deeply committed to supporting those who dedicate their lives to advocating for children.
