Healthy marriage: a pathway to human flourishing
Joneen Mackenzie reports the National Alliance for Relationship and Marriage Education summit.
Joneen Mackenzie ·
The National Alliance for Relationship and Marriage Education (NARME) Summit convened July 8-11, bringing together researchers, educators, practitioners, government officials, policymakers, and community leaders from across the country under the theme, “Hope in Action: Transforming Marriage and Families.”
The annual, sold-out gathering emphasized that strengthening marriages and families is not merely a personal aspiration but a public good with far-reaching benefits for children, adults, and communities. Children raised in stable, two-parent families, on average, achieve better educational outcomes, enjoy improved physical and emotional health, and are less likely to experience poverty or involvement in the justice system. Adults in healthy marriages likewise tend to report greater life satisfaction, better health, greater financial stability, and stronger social connections.
Many speakers discussed using Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the welfare block grant to states, to support job preparation, marriage education, and efforts to reduce non-marital pregnancies and increase the number of two-parent families, which is the original legislative intent of TANF. As attendees departed the Inverness Hotel, the conference theme served as both an invitation and a challenge. Hope becomes transformative when put into action through education, service, and supportive relationships. joneen@narme.org
Print source: The Villager, Vol. 44 No. 34, July 16, 2026, page 3. Issuu edition.