The VOIS Institute—Voices of Influence and Storytelling—is a core initiative of the Innovative Poverty Solutions (IPS) Model, embodying its commitment to community-driven leadership and narrative change. VOIS empowers those with lived experience of poverty to become visible, influential leaders in shaping both public understanding and practical solutions.
The VOIS Institute—Voices of Influence and Storytelling—is a core initiative of the Innovative Poverty Solutions (IPS) Model, embodying its commitment to community-driven leadership and narrative change. VOIS empowers those with lived experience of poverty to become visible, influential leaders in shaping both public understanding and practical solutions.
LEAD.
VOIS Fellows Program: Developing Leaders with Lived Experience
At its heart is the VOIS Fellows Program, a leadership track for Circles NWA graduates that equips them to share their stories, influence policy, and drive change in their communities.
The VOIS Fellows Program is a yearlong leadership development fellowship for graduates of the Circles NWA program. Rooted in the IPS Model, it’s designed to equip individuals with lived experience of poverty with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to lead change in their communities.
Fellows participate in weekly sessions that blend expert-led workshops, peer learning, personal goal-setting, and hands-on leadership opportunities. Topics include storytelling for social change, advocacy and policy engagement, media training, emotional intelligence, and community organizing. Fellows also contribute to Circles’ Big View initiatives—collaborative efforts to advance community-driven solutions to poverty.
The program includes retreats, opportunities for state-level advocacy, and continued support to remove barriers to participation (e.g., childcare and meals). As with Circles, the VOIS Fellows Program is built on a strong commitment to personal growth, mutual support, and collective impact.
LEARN.
IPS staff and VOIS Fellows offer learning labs for organizations, educators, congregations, businesses, and community partners to bring lived experience, research, and storytelling into conversation to deepen understanding and drive change.
Poverty Learning Labs
Immersive, experiential sessions designed to raise Poverty IQ—deepening understanding of the structural causes and lived realities of poverty in Northwest Arkansas. These labs aim to shift assumptions, build empathy, and equip community members, employers, and decision-makers to engage more effectively in solution-building.
Narrative Change Labs
Interactive workshops exploring how dominant narratives shape public perception of poverty—and how shifting those narratives can open new possibilities for equity and action. These sessions help participants unpack harmful myths, explore alternative frames, and practice justice-centered storytelling.
Contact us to learn more about how IPS can support your group, organization, or business through customized Poverty Learning and Narrative Change Labs.
ADVOCATE.
At its heart is the VOIS Fellows Program, a leadership track for Circles NWA graduates that equips them to share their stories, influence policy, and drive change in their communities.
Advocacy is embedded in everything VOIS does. The lived experiences of Circle Leaders and VOIS Fellows continue to shape how IPS responds to urgent regional challenges—from affordable housing to benefit cliffs.
These voices have helped drive attention to the realities many in our community face and have positioned Circles and VOIS at the forefront of conversations about systemic change. Grounded in community voice, our advocacy is focused, responsive, and driven by those closest to the issues, ensuring that policy conversations are informed by lived experience, not assumptions.