Collective Conversations

Setting Hope In Motion

Collective Conversations: Setting Hope in Motion is where people from various fields can come together to share honestly about what works, what’s challenging, and what’s next in preventing harm and promoting healing from child abuse.


It’s not your typical conference. It’s about connection, conversation, and shared purpose. You’ll hear bold ideas, real stories, and practical tools you can bring back to your work right away. Each session is designed to spark reflection, invite collaboration, and remind us why this work matters -- and how we can set it in motion together.


Join us Monday May 11 and Tuesday May 12, 2026, at The Center Club in Baltimore, Maryland, for two days of learning, inspiration, and meaningful exchange that leave you energized, grounded, and ready to take action.

Meet Our Keynote Speakers

Erin Merryn

Internationally recognized author, speaker, and child abuse advocate and activist

Wendy Ellis, DrPH, MPH

Assistant Professor and Center Director, Milken Institute School of Public Health

Now Seeking Speakers

Our Call for Speakers is now open! We’re especially excited about 90-minute proposals that speak to more than one audience or invite people outside your usual circle into the conversation. We’d love to hear from you if you have community-centered, strengths-based, and actionable ideas that attendees could take back to their teams and start implementing right away. 


If you’re doing meaningful work that others can learn from, we want to hear from you.

May 11 & 12, 2026

The Center Club, Baltimore, MD


What To Expect

5:00 - 6:00 PM

We're delighted to include a VIP Cocktail Reception for our sponsors and their guests this year, offering an intimate space for connecting with community leaders and the Change the Conversation team.

A Glimpse into Safety Planning for Online Child Exploitation

Presented by Chelsea McGonigle, Director of Prevention and Education


Step into the shoes of a student during this brief, interactive experience drawn directly from Turn the Talk. Attendees will explore a real-life scenario used in classrooms to help young people recognize online red flags, identify safe adults, and build personalized safety plans. This activity offers a powerful window into how we equip youth to navigate digital spaces safely, and why your support is critical to expanding this life-saving work.

Speaker Details Coming Soon!

This year's Blossom & Bloom will feature 2 remarkable speakers from local schools, joining us to share their experience with Turn the Talk. These individuals work daily with students, and will share their firsthand perspective on how Turn the Talk helps students practice safer habits, and prepares them to take action if they notice signs of child sexual abuse (CSA). 

About Turn the Talk:

Evidence-Inspired Prevention Education

Equipping Young People with Tools to Address Child Sexual Abuse

Turn the Talk is Change the Conversation's flagship prevention education program that partners with educators across Maryland to deliver comprehensive awareness and training directly to school communities. Our evidence-inspired approach equips students with a foundational understanding of child sexual abuse—including its definition, legal and policy context, and effects—while building practical skills in reporting, resource evaluation, and survivor advocacy.

2024 - 2025

Academic Year Highlights

Lorem Ipsum

10,562

through 395 classroom presentations in 24 unique schools, working alongside 35 dedicated teachers who serve as champions for prevention education in their communities.

Educator Approval

100%

of surveyed educators reported that the majority of students gained valuable knowledge and skills from Turn the Talk presentations. All respondents affirmed they would recommend the program to colleagues.

New Learning

96%

 of students report learning something new, with key takeaways including understanding reporting procedures, recognizing that abuse affects all demographics, identifying online safety risks, and learning about legal protections for survivors.

Become a Sponsor

Our 2025 sponsorship levels are designed to reflect the specific outcomes and impact areas of Turn the Talk programming, and your leadership in supporting this work. Each level outlined below represents a meaningful investment in the safety and wellbeing of Frederick County students.

$10,000

Prevention Impact Patron

This sponsorship level helps us deliver eighty Turn the Talk sessions.


  • 10 VIP tickets to private cocktail reception & full event
  • Name/Logo on Dessert Table
  • Logo on event signage
  • Logo on Change the Conversation's website
  • Logo on Event Digital Invitation


For your business:

CtC will provide Parent/Guardian Training to work force 1x year

Materials to include with annual benefit enrollment period

$7,500

Online Safety

Sponsor

This sponsorship level helps us deliver sixty Turn the Talk sessions.


  • 10 VIP tickets to private cocktail reception & full event
  • Name/Logo on Dessert Table
  • Logo on event signage
  • Logo on Change the Conversation's website
  • Logo on Event Digital Invitation


For your business:

CtC will provide Parent/Guardian Training to work force 1x year

Materials to include with annual benefit enrollment period

$5,000

Crucial Conversations Sponsor

This sponsorship level helps us deliver forty Turn the Talk sessions.


  • 8 VIP tickets to private cocktail reception & full event
  • Logo acknowledgement on custom cocktail sign(s)
  • Logo on event signage
  • Logo on Change the Conversation's website
  • Logo on Event Digital Invitation


For your business:

CtC will provide Parent/Guardian Training to work force 1x year

Materials to include with annual benefit enrollment period


$2,500

Prevention Strategy Sponsor

This sponsorship level helps us deliver twenty Turn the Talk sessions.


  • 6 VIP tickets to private cocktail reception & full event
  • Name/Logo placement around band
  • Name on event signage
  • Name on Change the Conversation's website
  • Name on Event Digital Invitation

$1,000

Advocacy for Survivors Sponsor

This sponsorship level helps us deliver six Turn the Talk sessions.


  • 4 VIP tickets to private cocktail reception & full event
  • Name on event signage
  • Name on Change the Conversation's website
  • Name on Event Digital Invitation
  • Take floral centerpiece home

$500

Friends of Change the Conversation

This sponsorship level helps us deliver forty Turn the Talk sessions.


  • 2 VIP tickets to private cocktail reception & full event
  • Name on Change the Conversation's website
  • Name on Event Digital Invitation

About Change the Conversation

Change the Conversation (CTC) is a trusted leader in trauma-informed education, training, and service expansion for CSA survivors in Maryland and surrounding states. With over 20 years of experience advancing trauma-informed care, child sexual abuse prevention, and professional development for the victim services workforce, CTC expands access to specialized, evidence-based trauma care through prevention programming, professional learning for providers, and grant-supported intervention services while strengthening systems that support child and youth recovery.

About Springboard Community Services

Empathy

We create space for people to share their experiences honestly and without fear.

Learning and Growth

We commit to learning, growth, and change – both individually and collectively.

Support

We acknowledge that we all need support in our lives to thrive.

Integrity

We act boldly to ensure everything we do advances our community outcomes and aligns with our values and beliefs.

Springboard Community Services (SCS) is a private, nonprofit outpatient mental health center serving individuals and families since 1849. With locations in Baltimore City, Carroll County, Harford County, and Howard County, SCS is a nationally accredited, trusted leader in wellness with a mission of transforming the lives of children and adults by providing opportunities to build self-confidence, resilience, and hope. In addition to general counseling, SCS provides comprehensive trauma-focused mental health services as part of the multidisciplinary care teams in the Carroll, Harford, and Howard County Child Advocacy Centers (CACs). SCS is home to the Family Violence Project, a program that serves thousands of families impacted by crime, violence, and trauma throughout Central Maryland.