ENGAGE: High School
Civic Leadership & Service Learning
Arkansas students are leading change in their communities.
ENGAGE is the Arkansas Civic Action Network’s flagship civic leadership program, equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to take action in their communities. Through hands-on learning, mentorship, and service projects, students connect classrooms to real-world civic engagement — from local schools to city halls, quorum courts, and the State Capitol.
Sign up now for the Fall 2026 semester
ENGAGE @ CALS
Central Arkansas Library System
Main Library (downtown Little Rock)
Dee Brown Library (southwest Little Rock)
Nixon Library (Jacksonville)
ENGAGE @ School
Currently located at:
Little Rock Central High School
Waldron High School
More information to come on dates and times. Express your interest by emailing blake@arkaction.net
What ENGAGE is
Civic Academy: 5 sessions, 3 hours each, 15 total service learning hours. Students learn how to make an impact, practice civic skills, and design a project with help from a mentor/coach. Session topics include understanding government, policy-making, advocacy, voting, volunteerism, and media literacy.
Student-Led Project: after Civic Academy, students pitch their project to staff and get support bringing it to life. Hours on your project = service hours to graduate. Students pick a local issue they are passionate about and are eligible for funding and other supports from ArkCAN.
ArkCAN does not tell students what policies to support or how to vote. ArkCAN provides curriculum, instructional support, materials, hours tracking, partnership management, project guidance, and mentorship.
Why ENGAGE matters
Across Arkansas, students want to make a difference — but too often they lack clear pathways to participate in civic life. ENGAGE changes that.
Student Benefits: get to be in the driver's seat and create projects that benefit their communities, build civic knowledge, practice communication skills, collaborate with peers, stand out on college applications, earn service hours toward graduation.
Site & Community Benefits: promoting your site as a civic space, outsourcing student volunteer management by directing students to a structured service learning opportunity run by a skilled organization, meaningful service opportunities to better local communities, students have deeper connections to the site and their community, students build leadership experience while meeting educational goals.
