Move
Conmigo
Building Confidence, Connection & Community through Movement
What We Do
Movement is a human right.
Mission
Conmigo leverages the power of joyful movement as a tool to bring together West Michigan youth, families, and community members. We seek to create spaces where everyone belongs, thrives, and is excited to say “move with me”.
Vision
We envision a future of joyful, accessible movement. Movement shared across cultures, generations, and languages, in every community across West Michigan and beyond. We see connection as the most powerful tool to disrupt inequity, and we see movement creating pathways for lifelong health, connection, and wellbeing for everyone.
Our Journey
First Steps
In 2010, a small group of runners began gathering in Garfield Park. They called themselves the No Surrender Running Club, and sought to give youth a safe, joyful space to move together. What started as a handful of runners soon became a community rooted in belonging and well-being. Our movement and our mindset resonated, and soon each run brought new members to our community, and each new member made us more whole. It was clear Grand Rapids was ready to move, and No Surrender provided a home for those ready to do so.
Hitting our Stride
In 2014, Running World Magazine named us “The Game Changers”, but we were just beginning to change the game. Soon our mission became clear: to remove every barrier we could find between our communities, and their ability to move together. We learned that movement was as good for adults as it was for youth, and so we invited families to move with us regardless of age. We soon became not just multigenerational, but multicultural, and then multilingual, and each time we became stronger for it. When we realized that running might provide a barrier to joyful movement for some of our community members, we evolved from a running club into a movement club.Each change made us stronger, kinder, and more whole. As the years piled on, we’ve moved through many phases together. Across challenges, strife, and difficulties that seemed insurmountable, we have supported each other. Through achievements and life-stages we have celebrated each other. Our community became a beacon for those who wanted to connect, heal, and grow.
Moving Forward
After a decade of evolution, we have chosen a name that reflects our vision of the future. Move Conmigo, or “move with me”, honors our multicultural roots and our belief that everyone has the righ to move, belong, and thrive. While our name has changed, our mission stays ever the same: move together, build community, disrupt inequity.
