Community Partnerships

ARtsAVL

For over 10 years, ACSF and ArtsAVL (formerly known as the Asheville Area Arts Council) have partnered to bridge our community’s talented, local arts scene with our public school classrooms. ArtsAVL was among the Teaching Artists Presenting in Asheville Schools (TAPAS) Program’s earliest supporters. Between 2010-2020, TAPAS impacted more than 9,000 ACS students, trained over 55 artists, and provided more than 850 days of artists in residence with ArtsAVL’s sustained support. During the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years, ACSF partnered with ArtsAVL to expand programming into Buncombe County Schools. In the 2023-2024 school year, ArtsAVL continues to support the TAPAS program as a grantor.
Asheville City Schools educators may apply for TAPAS residencies and field trips through ACSF by going to our TAPAS page here.

UNC Asheville

ACSF has been partnering with the University of North Carolina Asheville (UNC Asheville) for over twelve years. UNC Asheville is committed to addressing inequities, convening community, and leveraging resources to close opportunity gaps. Our partnership helps bring this vision to life through internship opportunities, student and faculty collaborations, and best practice research initiatives within our learning communities.

In 2017, ACSF and UNC Asheville partnered to create a jointly-funded Community Engagement Liaison position. Our Community Engagement Liaison acts as a bridge between both education communities, and works to foster a shared investment in K-16 education. UNC Asheville students and professors play a crucial role in building our capacity to conduct qualitative and quantitative research efforts, and to gather our community around the resources necessary to conduct this work. ACSF’s partnership with UNC Asheville brings a wealth of resources and knowledge to our shared work of excellence with equity.

There are many ways faculty and students are involved through K-16 partnerships grounded in hands-on learning and the application of critical life skills that aim to increase student success. These projects allow for learning through near-peer interactions to be enriching and productive for all parties involved. UNC Asheville faculty and students engage with ACS youth through tutoring, classroom enrichment support, service opportunities, multicultural events, and voter registration support.

United Way of Asheville-Buncombe County

ACSF and United Way of Asheville-Buncombe County have been partnering together for over 12 years to deliver transformational opportunities for the students and educators in Asheville City Schools. As an early adopter of the United 4 Youth Partnership Agreement, ACSF is committed to the work of making sure all of our students graduate from high school ready to pursue their dreams. 

United Way was among In Real Life (IRL) After-School’s first supporters in 2012.  IRL serves as a 4th pillar to the UW Community Schools model at Asheville Middle School - providing extended day activities emphasizing real-world learning and problem solving. IRL has transformed the ways in which our community’s youth and families are served after school. IRL is an intentionally inclusive program that serves young teens, ages 11-14, of all abilities, ethnicities, and backgrounds in Asheville City middle schools. We know that excellent after-school programming is beneficial for all children, but to make this programming accessible, we address barriers by waiving enrollment fees , providing transportation home after programming, and providing snacks both before and after programming.

Institute for Emerging Issues

In 2017, the Institute for Emerging Issues (IEI) used its first-ever “crowdsourcing” effort to identify the biggest issues facing North Carolina. After reaching out to thousands of North Carolinians and asking, “What’s the biggest issue facing our state over the next five years?,” there was one common theme: People in North Carolina felt more disconnected than ever and they wanted to do something about it.

Responding to the feedback of citizens across our state, IEI launched a three-year initiative focused on reengaging the state called ReCONNECT NC.

As part of the ReCONNECT to Community forum, IEI chose five communities to tell their story of civic engagement: What they’ve been doing and what has been working to improve community connections in their part of North Carolina. IEI chose five diverse initiatives each working to rebuild important community ties in different ways. Strengthening schools strengthens communities, which is why ACSF and our community engagement work through the Choosing Equity Series was chosen as one of only five state-wide community initiatives which IEI uplifted in the 2018 convening.

ACSF continues to share our learnings with IEI and our cohort community across the state. IEI continues to support ACSF’s community engagement work and provides funding to realize our vision.

My Daddy Taught Me That

With the support of Dogwood Health Trust, My Daddy Taught Me That and ACSF delivered an academic support pilot program for 10-15 young men in the summer of 2020. The goal of the program was to re-engage students during remote instruction, to help prevent summer lag, and to give youth who are struggling academically more support moving forward. Brian Randall, ACS certified teacher and former director of IRL, was the Director of Academic Programming and was assisted by Greg Hall, IRL Program Manager.  

The class also had a visit from UNCA professor, Dr. Ward, a Herpetologist and Professor of Environmental Studies at UNCA, to teach students about reptiles, PH levels, and bug anatomy under a high powered microscope. Each student received a science kit to replicate and create their own experiments at home.