09/22/2026
"The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture is excited to join the Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association and the Arkansas State Broadband Office to formally invite you to join us for Get Connected Arkansas Week, October 4–10, 2026, a statewide week of conversations, collaboration, capacity building, storytelling, and community engagement focused on what it means to build a more digitally connected Arkansas.
At the center of the week is one simple idea:
Being connected today is about being able to participate.
A connected Arkansas is one where children can learn, parents can pursue better jobs, patients can access healthcare, seniors can navigate services, small businesses can reach customers, and trusted community organizations have the capacity to help people confidently navigate an increasingly digital world.
Throughout the week, we will celebrate the progress Arkansas has already made while creating space to explore what comes next. Activities will highlight connectivity and digital opportunity wins, strengthen the capacity of trusted community organizations, elevate local voices, and demonstrate how meaningful connectivity supports education, workforce participation, healthcare access, economic opportunity, and stronger communities.
Get Connected Arkansas Week | October 4–10, 2026
•Sunday, October 4 – Connected Arkansas: Statewide Kick-Off - The week will launch with a coordinated statewide campaign video celebrating Arkansas’s connectivity and digital opportunity progress and illustrating what being connected means for families, children, workers, businesses, and communities. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mr5hs6i5zizjtnzymn8t8/Broadband-Connected-Arkansas.mp4?rlkey=kywbttarawrs24imhum27vs8l&st=82nsmil0&e=1&dl=0
•Monday, October 5 – Connected Arkansas: Our Future, Our Economy- Join Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association, the Arkansas State Broadband Office, and the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture for a special recorded edition of ACAAA’s RISE vlog. This approximately 20-minute conversation will celebrate major statewide wins, provide policy and implementation updates, highlight the role of trusted community organizations, and preview the week ahead. The discussion will reinforce that infrastructure is the foundation, while meaningful participation also depends on affordability, devices, digital skills, trust, and community capacity. The recording will be released on October 5. Follow Arkansas Community Action Agency on Facebook to view the recording @ https://www.facebook.com/arcommunityaction/
•Tuesday, October 6 | 10:00–11:30 a.m. – Arkansas Kids: Connected to Their Future -This virtual signature panel will place Arkansas children and families at the center of the conversation. Facilitated by Tomekia Moore, MPS, NCRT, Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association, the discussion will explore how connectivity influences learning, school readiness, parent engagement, digital safety, access to resources, and long-term economic opportunity. Registration is required: Register here
•Wednesday, October 7 | 10:00–11:30 a.m. – Equip the Connectors: Statewide Capacity Building Day - This virtual Train-the-Trainer session, facilitated by Hunter Goodman, PhD, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, will invest in the people and organizations Arkansans already trust. Community Action Agencies, libraries, educators, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and other practitioners are invited to participate in a special session focused on strengthening grant-writing capacity and equipping local connectors with practical tools they can carry back into their communities. Registration is required: Register here
•Thursday, October 8 | 10:00–11:30 a.m. – Connected Arkansas: Voices at the Capitol - Join us in-person at the Arkansas State Capitol Rotunda, 500 Woodlane Street, Little Rock, for the hallmark public event of the week. Voices at the Capitol will elevate lived experience, community practice, youth perspectives, and statewide leadership while demonstrating how connectivity shapes the way Arkansans learn, work, access healthcare, navigate services, grow businesses, and prepare for the future.
Registration is required: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/get-connected-arkansas-voices-at-the-capitol
•Friday, October 9 – Connected Arkansas in Action - Friday will spotlight the organizations and communities already doing the work. Through a special statewide recording, short stories, videos, interviews, photos, and partner spotlights, we will highlight real examples of device access, digital navigation, workforce development, telehealth, education, financial capability, small-business support, and local capacity building. Watch your email for this special statewide spotlight.
•Saturday, October 10 | 10:00–11:00 a.m. – Connected from the Start: Investing in Arkansas’s Future - We will close the week by investing in Arkansas’s youngest learners and the organizations supporting their families. Through Connected from the Start, seven Arkansas Head Start programs will receive $500 capacity-building seed investments, totaling $3,500. Programs will have the flexibility to invest in locally identified priorities such as devices, family digital skills, staff training, classroom technology, parent engagement, digital safety, or other strategies that help children and families thrive in an increasingly digital world. Location: TBA
As the week approaches, we will share additional details, including the full slate of speakers, participating organizations, special guests, and partner highlights.
Get Connected Arkansas Week is also an opportunity to recognize the tremendous work that has already taken place across our state. Arkansas has made meaningful progress, and that progress has been possible because organizations and leaders have been willing to collaborate, innovate, listen to communities, and build solutions together.
We are especially grateful for the leadership and partnership of the Arkansas State Broadband Office and Arkansas’s local Community Action Agencies, along with the many community, education, workforce, healthcare, business, philanthropic, and public-sector partners helping strengthen connectivity across our state.
We have much to celebrate—and an even greater opportunity ahead of us.
Together, we can build on Arkansas’s progress and ensure that connectivity becomes more than access. We can make it a pathway to participation, opportunity, stronger families, and stronger communities.
We hope you will join us throughout the week and be part of building what comes next."
