Participate in the Civic Challenge
The Engage Arkansas Civic Challenge is a way for Arkansans to connect around critical issues in our state. The Civic Challenge highlights ways participants can engage and change Arkansas communities by partnering with organizations working to impact and bring awareness to specific causes. Each month, we will focus these efforts on a particular issue.
Everyone has strengths. Maybe you have a large social following, and one of your strengths is your voice. Perhaps you're a wizard at organizing or a powerful advocate. We all have something to bring to the table.
Civic engagement is a vital part of existing in a community. It keeps us connected, allows us to flourish and grow, and helps us make productive group decisions. Civic engagement is often confused with volunteerism, and while volunteering is a small piece of civic engagement, it encompasses so much more than just service. As much as we may feel alone, we are a collective unit, and civic engagement is what links us together.
2023 Civic Challenge Calendar
| January | National Mentoring Month |
| February | Health Equity |
| March | National Nutrition Month |
| April |
National Child Abuse Prevention Month Keep America Beautiful Month |
| May | Older Americans Month |
| June | Civic Season: Juneteenth - Independence Day |
| July | National Recreation & Parks Month |
| August | National Nonprofit Day & Family Day |
| September | National Recovery Month |
| October | National Book Month |
| November | National Veterans & Military Families Month |
| December | Month of Giving |
Civic engagement is individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern.
Civically engaged individuals care about what’s happening around them and take action. There are many ways to get involved, but some key categories include taking political action, connecting to information and current events, being socially connected, participating in a group, and engaging in some service. Civic engagement has many faces, and part of the objective of this challenge is to unravel what civic engagement looks like to a group and an individual in a community.
Participating in the 2023 Civic Challenge is a great way to grow your knowledge of being an engaged citizen.
Take these steps to get registered today:
- Create a volunteer account on the Engage Arkansas website. Scroll through this guide to learn how.
- You will find opportunities to engage with specific organizations each month in our volunteer portal. We will also use our social channels to provide ideas and opportunities from organizations working to address specific issues. You're welcome to select your own organizations to support.
- Once you've completed a CALL TO ENGAGE each month, log your hours in your volunteer portal account.
- Once you've completed the Civic Challenge, export your volunteer hours report and send it to engage.ar@adhe.edu no later than January 14, 2023.
- Pictures in action are fantastic but not required.
- All participants who complete the Civic Challenge will receive an Engaged Arkansan award and will be entered into a drawing for a grand prize.