Village Public Health

11/25/2025

Research shows that evidence-based s*x education gives young people the information and skills they need to grow up safe and healthy.

11/25/2025

Money stress shows up early, but so does potential. When we teach young people how to navigate their financial world with clarity and confidence, we are not just talking about dollars. We are helping them protect their peace, shape their future, and walk into adulthood knowing they are capable of more than the moment they are in.

11/25/2025

Scholarship Alert

If you have a young person in your life who loves STEM, this is an opportunity you want them to know about. The SMART Scholarship-for-Service Program is now accepting applications, and it offers one of the most generous STEM scholarships in the country. ✨

The SMART Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, provides full-tuition, merit-based scholarships for students pursuing STEM degrees at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university. Scholars receive academic support, hands-on experience, and a guaranteed career pathway with the DoD. 🚀

Who can apply
• 🎓 High school seniors
• 🧑‍🎓 Incoming college freshmen
• 📚 Current undergraduate students
• 🧠 Current graduate students
• 🔬 Students pursuing a degree in an approved SMART STEM discipline

What scholars receive
• 🎓 Full tuition at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university
• 💵 Annual stipends ranging from 30000 to 46000
• 🧪 Paid summer internships at DoD facilities
• 💼 Civilian employment with the Department of Defense after graduation
• 🌐 Access to a powerful network of researchers and innovators
• 📖 Academic and career support throughout their program

SMART STEM disciplines include
• ✈️ Aerospace and aeronautical engineering
• 🫀 Biomedical engineering
• 🧬 Biosciences
• ⚗️ Chemical engineering
• 🧪 Chemistry
• 🏗️ Civil engineering
• 🧠 Cognitive, neural and behavioral sciences
• 💻 Computer science and engineering
• 📊 Data science and analytics
• 🔌 Electrical engineering
• 🌎 Geosciences
• ⚙️ Industrial and systems engineering
• 🖥️ Information sciences
• 🧱 Materials science and engineering
• ➗ Mathematics
• 🔩 Mechanical engineering
• 🚢 Naval architecture and ocean engineering
• ☢️ Nuclear engineering
• 🌊 Oceanography
• 📐 Operations research
• 🔭 Physics
• 🧑‍💻 Software engineering

Application timeline
• 🗓️ Opens: August 1 every year
• ⏳ Closes: First Friday in December

Learn more and apply at smartscholarship.org. 🔗

If you know a student who dreams in algorithms, builds robotics in their free time, sketches rockets in the margins of their notebooks, or lights up during labs, share this with them. Opportunities like this can shift the entire direction of a young persons future. 🌟

The SMART Program was established to increase the DoD workforce with civilian scientists, engineers and researchers.

11/25/2025

Youth mental health continues to be one of the most urgent public health issues of our time, and the most recent data remind us why staying attentive matters.

The CDCs 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows that 40 percent of high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. One in five seriously considered attempting su***de, and nearly one in ten attempted su***de in the previous year. These are not small numbers. They are a clear signal that something is happening in the emotional world of our young people that requires the full attention of every caring adult and every youth-serving system.

When we widen the lens to children ages 3 through 17, the CDC notes that 11 percent have a diagnosed anxiety condition, 8 percent have behavior disorders, and 4 percent have depression. What this tells us is that mental health concerns are showing up earlier, and many families are navigating systems that are already stretched thin.

Recent national reports add even more context. Mental Health Americas 2025 analysis found that major depressive episodes among youth ages 12 through 17 decreased slightly from 18.1 percent to 15.4 percent. While this shift is encouraging, it still represents millions of young people carrying heavy emotional loads. And a 2025 Pew study showed that 48 percent of teens believe social media has a mostly negative effect on their peers mental health, while 45 percent feel they spend too much time online. These environmental pressures shape how young people see themselves, socialize, and cope.

Across schools, afterschool programs, community organizations, sports programs, and faith-based spaces, adults are facing a steady rise in youth who need support. Counselors are overloaded. Therapy waitlists are long. Families often struggle to find affordable, accessible care. This is the reality many of us witness every day.

But there is another truth we cannot overlook. Prevention works. Early intervention works. And connection is protective.

Decades of evidence show that when young people feel connected to trusted adults, their risk of poor mental health and risky behaviors decreases. When caring adults know how to recognize warning signs, respond without judgment, and guide a young person toward appropriate support, we create a safety net that can change the entire trajectory of their lives.

This is why I remain committed to equipping parents, caregivers, educators, coaches, youth workers, and mentors with tools that actually help. On December 18, I will be offering my last FREE Youth Mental Health First Aid course of 2025. This will be my farewell lesson for the year, and seats are very limited.

Registration is now open on our website. If you feel called to be present for the youth in your life or the young people you serve, I encourage you to secure your spot early.

We may not be able to shield young people from every challenge, but we can make sure they never navigate those challenges alone. Knowing how to support their mental wellness is not just a skill. It is an act of community care.

If you are ready to learn, ready to show up, and ready to be part of the prevention work, join me on December 18. Our youth deserve adults who are prepared. Our community deserves systems built on readiness. And together, we can create spaces where young people recognize and utilize their power in ways that strengthen their future.

11/25/2025

The library is hosting a sweater drive, and the moment I saw the flyer it pulled me straight back into my childhood. Mister Rogers shaped so much of what kindness looked like in those early years. His gentle way of reminding us to look out for one another still echoes in my spirit.

Seeing a sweater drive in his honor feels right. It reflects everything he stood for: warmth, belonging, and the quiet ways we can show up for our neighbors.

It is beautiful to watch our community continue that legacy. A simple act like donating a sweater becomes a reminder that we all have a role in creating softer, safer spaces for each other.

11/24/2025

Over the holiday break we are learning to tie our shoes. It is slow, sweet, and full of the kind of patience that reminds me how much growth can happen in the quiet moments.

Every family has their own little milestones tucked inside this season.

What skill is on your Thanksgiving list?

11/24/2025

Meals on Wheels is more than a meal. It is a lifeline. Across the country, thousands of older adults rely on this program not just for food, but for safety checks, conversation, and connection. For many, the person delivering that tray is the only voice they will hear all day.

As a public health practitioner, I see Meals on Wheels as a critical part of community wellness. Nutrition security, social connectedness, fall prevention, chronic disease management, and overall quality of life all improve when our elders are supported. This program quietly strengthens the fabric of our neighborhoods one doorstep at a time.

This is also a powerful moment for young people.
When young people volunteer, something special happens. They build empathy, expand their understanding of community, and learn what it looks like to show up for someone who once showed up for all of us. They see how public health lives in everyday actions. They gain service hours, real-world skills, and a sense of belonging that comes from doing something meaningful.

Most importantly, they learn that caring for our elders is a collective responsibility. Our seniors deserve to age with dignity, safety, and nourishment. And our young people deserve opportunities to see their own power to influence change in the world around them.

Meals on Wheels is a reminder that prevention is love, community is medicine, and every generation has something to offer the next.

If you have a young person in your life looking for a way to make a difference, this is a gentle, beautiful place to start.

11/21/2025

Today’s announcement is especially meaningful for our office. For the past two years, we’ve been working behind the scenes with our partners to bring Group Violence Intervention (GVI) to Central Arkansas—and we are thrilled to finally share this important step with our community.

Over the next few days, we’ll be highlighting what GVI is, how it works, and what it could mean for the future of safety and opportunity in Pulaski County. This is a proven strategy with real potential to save lives, strengthen neighborhoods, and create meaningful change.

We’re grateful for your support and hope you’ll follow along as we walk through what this initiative can bring to our community. Together, we’re building something powerful.

11/21/2025

Community matters more than ever, and this group is a perfect example of why. When parents, caregivers, and trusted adults come together to share real experiences, ask hard questions, and learn from one another, it creates the kind of ecosystem every young person needs to thrive.

From a public health perspective, spaces like this are powerful. They strengthen protective factors. They build social connection. They reduce isolation for parents who are navigating challenges alone. They help families recognize early signs of stress, shifts in behavior, or emerging health needs. Most importantly, they keep accurate information circulating in a world where misinformation can spread faster than truth.

A group like this:
• Creates a safe place for shared learning
• Helps parents identify concerns before they escalate
• Supports mental and emotional wellness for the whole family
• Encourages preventive conversations at home
• Builds trust between caregivers who may feel overwhelmed
• Offers practical, real-time solutions rooted in lived experience

Healthy communities begin with connected communities. When parents have a place to talk openly, ask questions without judgment, and learn together, their children benefit. Their families benefit. Their neighborhoods benefit.

This group is a reminder that prevention starts at home and is strengthened when the village leans in together.

Arkansas Fathers Club is a safe space for men! Brotherhood discussing Healthy topics! REGISTER TODAY: https://forms.gle/LFHwfDnjYGQN8VGL6

11/18/2025

Want to boost your ACT Math score? ➗📈
Pulaski County Youth Services is offering FREE ACT Math Prep to help high school students strengthen skills, learn smart strategies, and feel confident on test day!

This session is led by experienced instructors who break down tough concepts, walk through real ACT-style problems, and help you sharpen the math essentials you need for a higher score.

Upcoming ACT Math Session:
✍️ Math
📅 Saturday, December 6, 2025
🕘 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Seats are limited — don’t miss out!
👉 Register here: https://tinyurl.com/yhfryjb4

A stronger ACT Math score is within reach — and it’s completely FREE! 🎓✨

11/18/2025

“Maybe Christmas… doesn’t come from a store.
Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
— Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas ❤️

That’s the heart behind Grow Your Heart, a Christmas gardening workshop led by Devani Lou Who.

Kids will create heart shaped ornaments made with seeds. It’s a simple holiday craft that turns into something they can plant after Christmas. Each child will make two - one to start their own little garden and one to give to someone who could use a little love this season.

What we’ll practice:
🎄 creating a holiday ornament they can plant after Christmas
🎄 caring for something they made with their own hands
🎄 showing kindness through giving

Perfect for toddlers and young kids. All supplies included.

Save the Date - Saturday, December 6th @ 10am (Little Rock)

Registration details coming soon. ❤️

We Teach. We Grow. We Farm. 🫶🏽