UAFS launches RoarCorps to help address regional issues, needs

The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith (UAFS) has expanded its involvement with the national AmeriCorps program and will place 40 students with regional community groups to support youth literacy, mental health, environmental work, health and wellness, and other programs.

RoarCorps is set to begin in September and is funded primarily by a $220,000 grant from AmeriCorps through Engage Arkansas. Engage Arkansas is the state’s administrator of AmeriCorps programs. The grant supports UAFS costs to manage the program in the Fort Smith metro, with payments and scholarships to the students paid directly by AmeriCorps. The program is also supported by the Arkansas Division of Higher Education.

According to UAFS, RoarCorps builds upon the Jumpstart program that focused on school readiness for preschool children. Corri Brosius, RoarCorps director, said the goal is to connect students with service opportunities tied to needs identified by regional organizations. Brosius said the launch of the UAFS Center for Nonprofits helped create connections between the expanded program and critical community needs.

“RoarCorps is really about building a bridge between our students and the River Valley,” Brosius said. “We have students who want to make a difference, and we have community partners doing important work every day. This program helps bring those two things together in a way that is organized, sustained and meaningful.”

Students are selected through a process that includes interviews, background checks and placement based on their interests. Students in the 300-hour programs will receive a $2,600 living allowance plus a $1,565 education award upon completion of their service commitment. Members in the 450-hour Youth Mental Health Corps program will receive a $3,900 living allowance plus a $1,956 education award upon completion.

“This is still a service program, not a job, but the living allowance and education award matter,” Brosius said. “Many of our students are balancing classes, work, internships and family responsibilities. RoarCorps gives them a way to serve their community while also receiving support that recognizes the time and commitment they are giving.”

Applications are now open, with the application window closing Sept. 4. Link here for the application form.

Following are details on the four service areas — education, healthy futures, environmental stewardship, and youth mental health — to be part of the expanded RoarCorps program.

Education
Students will provide one-on-one and small-group literacy tutoring for students in kindergarten through sixth grade, with an emphasis on students in kindergarten through third grade who are below or at risk of falling below grade-level reading proficiency. RoarCorps members have a goal of working with 100 students in a partnership with the Fort Smith Boys & Girls Club.

In Fort Smith Public Schools, just 29% of third graders met grade-level proficiency on the 2023 ACT Aspire English language arts assessment.

Healthy Futures
RoarCorps students will support inclusive health and wellness programming for K-12 students with special needs, garden-based education workshops, and food distribution and access initiatives. Partners include Community Connections, the River Valley Regional Food Bank, and The Learning Fields at Chaffee Crossing.

The Fort Smith poverty rate is 18.3%, compared with the national rate of 12.4%, according to U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts. RoarCorps grant materials also cite child food insecurity rates of 21% in Sebastian County and 20% in Crawford County, an adult overweight and obesity rate of 67.7% in Sebastian County, and national research showing that children with disabilities are 38% more likely to be obese than their peers.

Environmental Stewardship
This group will support native plant and sustainability education workshops, habitat restoration and conservation engagement. Partners include the UAFS College of Arts and Sciences and The Learning Fields at Chaffee Crossing.

The Fort Smith metro contains land in the top 10% statewide for conservation impact, according to the Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy. Additional research links biodiversity and nature exposure to reduced anxiety and stress, as well as improved well-being.

Members will help lead native plant education workshops for K-12 students and support habitat restoration projects that protect priority conservation areas. The goal is not only to improve outdoor spaces, but also to help area students and residents understand local ecosystems and feel prepared to protect them.

Youth Mental Health
Students in this group will function as a part of the national AmeriCorps initiative focused on youth mental health and behavioral health career pathways. At UAFS, the cohort will engage social work senior interns, allowing students to complete required academic service hours while also receiving AmeriCorps benefits.

“For our social work students, this can remove a real barrier,” Brosius said. “They still have to complete the hours and do the work, but they are not being asked to work an entire year without any financial support. They can meet their academic requirements, serve young people in our community and begin building experience in behavioral health.”

Youth Mental Health Corps members will provide weekly mentoring sessions for youth ages 13 to 18, with activities focused on mental health awareness, coping skills and connections to community resources.

Brosius said all four areas provide students a chance to be part of a broader effort to make community improvements.

“Service can feel overwhelming when you look at all the needs around us,” Brosius said. “RoarCorps is built on the idea that students can start with small, consistent acts of service, and those acts can add up to something much bigger for our community.”