• Arkansas Civic Leadership Academy: Preparation for a future as a Civic Leader

    Throughout this academic year, I have had the unique opportunity to participate in the inaugural Arkansas Collegiate Civic Leadership Academy. Organized through the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, it brings together junior- and senior-level undergraduate students from colleges and universities across the state of Arkansas who share a common commitment to public service and civic engagement in…

  • Smart Start Member Interviews: Preparation for Arkansas’s Next Generation of Leaders

    Over the past week, the Engage Arkansas team interviewed two members of the Southeast Arkansas Education Service Cooperative’s Smart Start Program for February’s civic challenge, spotlighting youth leadership across Arkansas. Smart Start, an AmeriCorps initiative, provides reading and math tutoring to K–5 students in Southeast Arkansas who are at risk of academic failure. Members serve…

  • Volunteer Community of the Year: Jonesboro’s Investment in Youth Leadership

    In December, the City of Jonesboro, Arkansas, was named the 2025 Arkansas Volunteer Community of the Year in the category of Most Youth Engagement. The Arkansas Volunteer Community of the Year Awards—administered by the Governor’s Advisory Commission on National Service and Volunteerism (Engage Arkansas) and the Arkansas Municipal League, recognize Arkansas communities that strengthen civic…

  • Transforming the Justice System through Movement and Mindfulness: The Prison Yoga Project

    Over time, the criminal justice system has come to play a significant role in providing mental health services. As a result, correctional institutions now encounter a greater share of individuals with mental health needs, even as their primary mandate and available resources remain focused elsewhere. Incarceration gives many individuals their first opportunity to access mental…

  • Global Community Engagement Day: Building Impact Beyond Our Immediate Circles

    Today we celebrate Global Community Engagement Day, not just as a day on the calendar but as a reminder that progress doesn’t happen in isolation.  The theme this year is “strength in numbers,” highlighting how strong our communities are when we become engaged in an intentional, inclusive, and collaborative manner. Community impact isn’t built in…

  • History of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

    From Federal Holiday to a National Day of Service Martin Luther King Jr. Day, observed on the third Monday in January, invites the nation to pause and reflect not only on a transformative Civil Rights leader, but also to reflect on our shared responsibility to one another. The holiday’s journey from a hard-fought decade-long legislative…