Mission: Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of children through professionally supported long-term, One-To-One® mentoring relationships with carefully screened, caring and committed adults in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland.
Website: http://www.bbbsnca.org/get-involved
Email: for DC: rmalipula@bbbsnca.org check website for other DMV area contacts.
Phone: (301) 794-9170
What volunteers do:
- Become a Big Brother or Big Sister mentor.
- Host a “Bowl for Kids” party; raise money while having fun.
- Host a group of Bigs and Littles for a cultural event or educational trip.
- If you speak Spanish and are bilingual, volunteer in the Latino Outreach Initiative: Become a BB/BS; Help BBBS with Latino community outreach; Volunteer to create an event to benefit the program.
- Raise money to host a “Beyond School Walls” program in Washington, DC or Prince George’s County, MD.
- Join the alumni group. If you are former Big or Little, no matter where, but you now live in the DC Metro area, join the new alumni group.
FYI:
- Male mentors are currently in demand to be matched with a waiting list of boys.
- Depending where in the DC metro area you live, there is a different person to contact to get involved. Please check the website link for up to date contact info.
Mission: There’s a dearth of African-American women in science, technology, engineering and math professions, an absence that cannot be explained by a lack of interest in these fields. Lack of access and lack of exposure to STEM topics are the likelier culprits. Black Girls Code provides young and pre-teen girls of color opportunities to learn in-demand skills in technology and computer programming at a time when they are naturally thinking about what they want to be when they grow up. Black Girls Code's vision: To increase the number of women of color in the digital space by empowering girls of color ages 7 to 17 to become innovators in STEM fields, leaders in their communities, and builders of their own futures through exposure to computer science and technology. To provide African-American youth with the skills to occupy some of the 1.4 million computing job openings expected to be available in the U.S. by 2020, and to train 1 million girls by 2040.
Website: http://www.blackgirlscode.com/volunteer-signup.html
Email: n/a
Phone: (510) 398-0880
What volunteers do:
- Assist as tech instructors, tech assistants, classroom assistants.
- Contribute on social media.
- Provide general office/admin help and general IT/tech support.
FYI:
- Time commitments include weekend workshops (4 or 8 hours shifts), weekday workshops, or one week summer camp, as well as on-going weekday commitments.
- Fill out the volunteer submission form online and check out the ivolunteer page (http://blackgirlscode.ivolunteer.com/) for upcoming events to get involved in.
Mission: Community of Hope's mission is to create opportunities for low-income families in Washington, DC, including those experiencing homelessness, to achieve good health, a stable home, family-sustaining income, and hope. They provide direct services to families, advocate for system change, collaborate with others, and utilize a person-centered, strengths-based, integrated approach to their work.
Website: https://www.communityofhopedc.org/volunteer/general-volunteer-opportunities
Email: volunteer@cohdc.org
Phone: (202) 407-7757
What volunteers do:
- Help out at the after-school program and/or a weekly play night at the two shelters.
- Become a mentor to formerly homeless youth.
- Host birthday and holiday parties at the housing sites.
- Make welcome kits for families arriving into the housing program.
- Provide childcare for kids in the housing program while parents attend meetings and workshops.
- Help out at one of the community events.
FYI:
- Time commitment depends on program, but most volunteers try to commit to two days a month at minimum if they are with a regularly running program for housing clients.
Mission: Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children of DC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to promote court appointed volunteer advocacy so that every abused and neglected child in the DC foster care system can be safe, establish permanence and have the opportunity to thrive. This mission is carried out through the recruitment, training and support of volunteer advocates (CASA volunteers) who serve youth in DC. CASA volunteers provide a voice in court for young people in foster care and establish a unique and supportive relationship with their young person to assist them in achieving safe, permanent homes and key life skills. As one of 950+ affiliates of National CASA for Children, CASA DC was born from a desire to provide DC foster care children with a consistent adult in what can easily become a whirlwind of attorneys, social workers and related professionals. The National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association, together with its state and local member programs, supports and promotes court-appointed volunteer advocacy so every abused or neglected child in the United States can be safe, have a permanent home and the opportunity to thrive. Volunteer special advocates get to know the child by talking with everyone in that child's life: parents and relatives, foster parents, teachers, medical professionals, attorneys, social workers and others. They use the information they gather to inform judges and others of what the child needs and what will be the best permanent home for them.
Website: http://casadc.org/programs/casa-volunteer-program/
Volunteer form: http://casadc.org/programs/casa-program-application/
Email: volunteer@casadc.org
Phone: (202) 887-0007
What volunteers do:
- Build a relationship: Visit the child twice a month. Your visits can be anything ranging from bike riding, to volunteering together at an animal shelter, to working on college applications.
- Gather information: Review documents and records, interview the child, family, and professionals in the child’s life. - Document findings: Write a court report for each hearing.
- Attend court hearings: Appear at the youth’s hearings and provide testimony when necessary. Hearings are roughly 30 minutes and occur every 3-4 months during the day on weekdays.
- Explain what is going on: Help the youth understand the court proceedings.
- “Be the glue”: Seek cooperative solutions among individuals and organizations involved in the children’s lives. As one volunteer said: Be the glue that connects the pieces in a complicated child welfare system.
- Recommend services: Ensure that the children and their family are receiving appropriate services and advocate for those that are not immediately available. Bring concerns about the child’s health, education, mental health, etc. to the appropriate professionals.
- Monitor case plans and court orders: Check to see that plans are being followed and mandated review hearings are being held.
- Keep the court informed: Update the court on developments with agencies and family members. Ensure that appropriate motions are filed on behalf of the child so the court knows about any changes in the child’s situation.
- Administrative support: Assist with fundraising, data entry, office support, special events, PR/marketing as needed.
FYI:
- All volunteers must complete 30 hours of pre-service training, which provides an overview of the foster care system in DC as well as what to expect when working with a youth who has been abused or neglected. In addition, volunteers must complete 12 hours of in-service training annually.
- CASA volunteers spend an average of 10 hours a month working on their case. While volunteers are required to serve one year, CASA hopes volunteers will remain on their case until it is closed.
- Volunteers must pass a background check.
Mission: Family and Youth Initiative is a nonprofit organization that works with teenagers aged 12-21 in the DC foster care system. It is the only DC area organization focused exclusively on helping teens in foster care make lifelong connections with caring adults. DCFYI matches youth with host parents and mentors, and helps them find adoptive families.
Website: https://www.dcfyi.org/what-we-do/become-volunteer
Email: info@dcfyi.org
Phone: (202) 863-0975
What volunteers do:
- Plan, host, or photograph at a program event.
- Blog
- Serve on a DCFYI committee.
- Help with a fundraising event.
- Help as a college or career coach.
FYI:
- There are also mentoring opportunities. Please check the website for more details.
Mission: The mission of the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project is to nurture healthy child development and reduce the effects of trauma among children living in temporary housing programs in Washington D.C. We seek to create a city that provides every opportunity for children in families experiencing homelessness to succeed by ensuring consistent opportunities to play and learn, offering support services for families, and advocating for affordable housing and safe shelter.
Website: http://www.playtimeproject.org/get-involved/volunteer/#
Email: deborah@playtimeproject.org
Phone: (202) 329-4481
What volunteers do:
- Play Ranger volunteers (weekly volunteers in the play programs): Plan and lead arts and crafts projects, ball games, reading, games, and imaginary play activities for children of various ages.
- Volunteers in Motion (individuals with cars): Move donations from the office to program locations (times/dates of drop off/pick up based on volunteer availability and amount of donations).
- Adopt a Playroom (groups): Maintain safe playrooms by cleaning and organizing play spaces and sanitizing toys. Involves some flexibility in scheduling a date, and the possibility of completing the cleaning on a weekend day. Recommended for groups of about 10 volunteers.
- Birthday Parties and Special Events (groups): Groups of 5-10 volunteers (ages 18+) bring a pizza party and extra supplies or decorations, as well as plan and lead appropriate holiday activities - under close supervision of our Site Manager and weekly Playtime volunteers. Parties take place during weekday evening hours.
FYI:
- Play Ranger volunteers (weekly volunteers in the play programs):
- Volunteers are expected to make a two-hour weekly commitment for at least six months, and should come with experience working with children and an interest in supporting healthy child development.
- Volunteers must be ages 18 and older.
- The steps to volunteer: Attend a monthly training --> complete an application and background check --> sign a waiver --> match with a site --> begin volunteering --> attend a safe shore training.
- Group volunteer opportunities (Adopt a Playroom and Birthday Parties/Special Events):
- Link to group volunteer interest form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdLaYnre7Uu3WjZrOp7Sg6GXlBxMbSCpAsjZ1JOIjN3nKebBw/viewform
Mission: To provide educational and enrichment activities for inner city Washington, DC school-age children and youth in Southeast DC. This is accomplished through one-on-one mentoring and tutoring, in a safe place, with nutritional support, through after school and summer programs.
Website: http://www.janstutoringhouse.org/home/Volunteers.html
Volunteer form: http://janstutoringhouse.org/Volunteer_files/JTHapplication.pdf
Email: twoods@janstutoringhouse.org
Phone: 202-547-1345
What volunteers do:
- Tutor one child (age 5 to 15), weekly, with occasional weekend outings.
FYI:
- Volunteer tutors are asked to commit to one night each week for a minimum of one year, but understand that most student and tutor pairs establish long term friendships.
- Volunteers may schedule tutoring one of three nights: Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, between 6:30 and 8:30pm.
- Volunteer application link is available on the website. You will also need 3 references and undergo a background check.
Mission: The Petey Greene Program supplements education in correctional institutions by preparing volunteers, primarily college students, to provide free, quality tutoring and related programming to support the academic achievement of incarcerated people.
Website: http://www.peteygreene.org/volunteer/
Volunteer form: http://www.peteygreene.org/volunteerapplication
Contact: http://www.peteygreene.org/contact/
Phone: n/a
What volunteers do:
- Work one-on-one or in small groups with students in correctional facilities in order to support their academic achievement.
FYI:
- All tutors are required to be over the age of 18, and have or be working towards a Bachelor's degree. Additionally must be able to provide a social security number and government-issued ID.
- This opportunity requires a 3-4 hour weekly commitment.
- Shift times and locations listed here: http://www.peteygreene.org/washington-dc/. (note: program follows academic calendar, so runs between Sept-Dec and Jan-April)
Mission: Reading Partners mobilizes communities to provide students with the proven, individualized reading support they need to read at grade level by fourth grade. Reading is the foundation for all future learning, and the ability to read transforms lives and empowers children and communities to reach their full potential. Research shows that students who read at grade level by fourth grade have a greater opportunity to succeed in school and in life. Reading Partners work with under-resourced schools and engage volunteer reading partners to work one-on-one with students who struggle with reading. An evidence-based and community-driven organization, RP recruits and trains volunteers to work one-on-one with students following a structured, research-based curriculum. The program model works and is backed by evidence-based research which proves that students make significant gains in reading. On average, Reading Partners’ students more than double their rate of learning while in the program.
Website: http://readingpartners.org/location/washington-dc/
Volunteer form: https://wdcvol.my-trs.com/
Email: n/a
Phone: (202) 701-9110
What volunteers do:
- Work with one student on literacy curriculum for a minimum of an hour a week, preferably two 45-minute sessions (generally M-Th during school hours).
FYI:
- Background check and orientation session required.
- Curriculum, in-person training, and on-site support provided.
- FAQ available here: http://readingpartners.org/about-us/faq/#
Mission: TEALS pairs computer science professionals from across the industry with classroom educators to team-teach CS in high schools throughout the U.S. Started in 2009 by Microsoft employee Kevin Wang, who developed and ran the program in his spare time, TEALS was embraced by Microsoft in 2011 and has been supported by the company ever since as part of its global YouthSpark initiative, which aims to increase access to CS education for all youth around the world. TEALS helps high schools teach computer science by providing trained volunteers – industry professionals in CS – to partner with a classroom teacher and work as a team to deliver CS education to students who would otherwise not have the opportunity to learn CS in their school. Over two years, the classroom teacher gradually takes over the responsibilities of teaching the course without volunteer support. The team-teaching and volunteer system of TEALS creates a strong ripple effect: it empowers teachers who can multiply the impact by providing computer science education to hundreds more students over the years.
Website: https://www.tealsk12.org/volunteers/
Contact: https://www.tealsk12.org/contact/
Phone: n/a
What volunteers do:
- Serve as part of a team led by a partner classroom teacher & help prepare a classroom teacher to teach Intro to Computer Science Principles, AP CS A (Java Programming), or an AP CS Principles course on their own. TEALS has different volunteer tracks, outlined below, meant to accommodate different levels of availability.
- Co Teaching Model: Volunteer teachers serve on a teaching team led by a classroom teacher, 2-3 classes/week, often first period – 7:30 a.m.- 9:30 a.m. (answer student questions; grade assignments; inspire students to continue pursuing computer science in college or career; meet as a team to track student progress and plan upcoming classes; adapt lesson plans from the TEALS curriculum for use in your class and deliver lessons)
- Teaching Assistant Model: Assistants help students with lab work, grade assignments, deliver guest lectures, (1-2 classes/week).
- Consultant Model: Consultants support teacher remotely by discussing class, assisting with curriculum and grading, delivering guest lectures, inspiring students via visits or video conference to continue pursuing computer science in college or career.
FYI:
- Volunteers expected to commit for full school year, and attend the required info sessions and mandatory summer training program (20 hours of online and in-person training sessions, plus 20 hours working with teaching team and preparing for the school year).
- CS degree or equivalent job experience required
- Check out FAQ and Volunteer Overview for more info: https://www.tealsk12.org/volunteers/faq/.
Mission: Writopia Lab fosters joy, literacy, and critical thinking in children and teens from all backgrounds through creative writing. It provides young people with the creative inspiration and intellectual environment that may not be available to them at school. Writopia Lab helps students become comfortable expressing themselves on paper and to ultimately cultivate (or maintain) a love of writing in each of them. They create and sustain a diverse community of young writers who find commonalities in a shared passion for ideas and expression. They provide an open, safe, and nurturing space for young people who are highly engaged in creative and intellectual endeavors. They provide an open, safe, and nurturing space for young people who struggle with verbal and written expression. They identify ways that creative youth who struggle academically can use their gifts to further their academic success.
Website: http://www.writopialab.org/who-we-are/join-the-team#volunteer
Email: registerDC@writopialab.org
Phone: (202) 629-9510
What volunteers do:
- Joy and Literacy Afterschool Program: Mentor within creative-writing workshops in afterschool programs for low-income youth (60-90 mins once a week on M, T, W or F)
- Write to Recognition Program: With degree in English or education: mentor and support young writers (nine-month commitment, 2-10 hours/week plus monthly meetings and professional development sessions). With experience in Regents and test prep: GED, resume building, admissions essays, work with older teens transitioning out of foster care or treatment facilities for incarcerated youth.
FYI: Application and training session required.
Mission: Year Up envisions a future in which every urban young adult will have access to the education, experiences, and guidance required to realize his or her true potential. Their mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Year Up achieves this mission through a high support, high expectation model that combines marketable job skills, stipends, internships and college credits. The program combines hands-on skills development, courses eligible for college credit, and corporate internships to prepare students for success in professional careers and higher education. Their holistic approach focuses on students’ professional and personal development to place these young adults on a viable path to economic self-sufficiency.
Website: http://www.yearup.org/get-involved/ways-to-help/?location=national-capital-region/
Volunteer form: http://www.yearup.org/get-involved/#form
Email: volunteer@yearup.org
Phone: (703) 312-9327
What volunteers do:
- Mentor: Email or call mentee weekly; meet face-to-face monthly for 8 months; help mentee build professional network; review resume and college forms; encourage continuous learning and problem-solving; attend Year Up graduation and recognize your student.
- Tutor: Be there to provide students academic guidance and help them hone their technical skills.
- Guest Speaker: Inspire young adults with your story, and share your insights on building a career.
Mission: Based in Washington, DC, YWP programs engage under-resourced youth of color, ages 14-22, with a focus on teen women and youth in the foster care system. Youth staff and members are organized into two issue campaigns, driven by long-term-system-change-focused goals and chosen by youth. The Foster Care Campaign (FCC) builds the leadership and power of foster youth so that they can transform their own lives and improve the child welfare system. The Peer Health and Sexuality Education Project (PHASE) is a teen-adult partnership that works to improve DC teens’ reproductive health by expanding comprehensive sexuality education, ensuring access to community and school based reproductive health care, and engaging teen women and men as peer educators and decision makers on reproductive health issues.
Website: http://www.youngwomensproject.org/volunteer
Email: nadia.gold-moritz@youngwomensproject.org
Phone: (202) 332-3399
What volunteers do:
Though no formal volunteer program exists, the Young Women Project engages volunteers in many capacities including as interns, advisors, board members, trainers, and to support our youth staff. If interested in volunteering, please send your resume, along with a brief explanation of your specific time availability, to nadia.gold-moritz@youngwomensproject.org.