Virtual Volunteering Opportunities--January & February

January 3, 2021 / Source: The Bizz USA
By Aaryana Sharma; Edited by Haarika Kalahasti

As we live through the current pandemic, it is important to stay grounded in our values, be proactive, and take advantage of any spare time we have. There are many ways to productively fill time, such as studying ahead for school, taking online courses, learning a new hobby, and engaging in extracurricular opportunities. One particular activity to take on is community service, which can help you make a difference in your community, build character, and even build up your college resume (Read the importance of community service in our article here). Although it is difficult to volunteer now, there are many virtual volunteering opportunities to partake in to stay occupied during this lengthy pandemic.

Here is a list of The Bizz USA’s January & February Virtual Volunteering Opportunities:

1. Bookshare 
   1. This is an e-book library that makes reading easier for people with dyslexia, learning disabilities, and visual impairments. To fit these accommodations, books will be available in braille and large fonts. Your job as a virtual volunteer is to upload books to Bookshare using a scanner (which you have built into your cell phones!), or edit books other volunteers put up!
2. Learning Ally
   1. ​Have you ever wanted others to hear your voice? Do you dream of being an actor or actress? Well this next one's for you! Learning Ally has a really interesting program which lets students create audiobooks. There is a training process in order to become a reader, but if reading isn’t your strong suit, you can be a great “Listener”. As a listener you ensure students enjoys the audiobooks, listen to young adult or popular fiction, and help provide feedback for the narrators. Check out more opportunities on their website if you're interested! 
3. Learning for ALL
   1. ​Maybe you’re not really a behind the scenes persona dn you want to be talking to people and helping them out as you go. If this is the case, you should apply to be an ESL Assistant Teacher to help peers learn English. You must be at least 18 for this position and you have to complete a training or orientation to begin. Each class is around an hour and a half so it would be an amazing way to help out your community and earn service credit. 
4. Soldiers’ Angels Writing Letters Team
   1. Soldiers’ Angels is a way to give back to our troops and veterans. In this particular opportunity, volunteers will be writing letters to soldiers. The Letter Writing Team is a team of writers who send mail to troops to deploy troops by picking a soldier between and writing to them to lift their spirits! If you're a part of this team you have to write at least one letter per month but can write many more if you choose!
5. The  Climate Museum
   1. ​Our next opportunity isn’t volunteering, but is an unpaid internship. The Climate Museum internship is a virtual opportunity for high schoolers between 9th to 12th grade. It allows high schoolers to discover climate orientated opportunity and participate in either arts or advocacy depending on the track the student chooses. The sessions are on Tuesday on zoom from 4-6 pm EST. The program is for 3 months and is unpaid and is open for all high schoolers.
6. CitySquare
   1. ​If you’re still struggling to come up with ways to earn service credit, or how to spend your winter break, check out CitySquare! It is an amazing platform full of plentiful volunteer opportunities and ways to contribute. Some ways to give back are Creating A Camp at school, Welcome Home Kits, and Homeless Outreach Kits. These fun projects are a creative way to spend your time and give back to your community.
7. No-Sew Masks
   1. ​With the pandemic still in full swing, DoSomething.org has started a new, no-sew mask initiative that allows teens to create something useful and earn credit for doing so! Their program made over 30,000 masks and as an added bonus-- if you participate in this activity you can win a scholarship just by being a part of this program and contributing by making something. Yes, you read that right. You have the opportunity to earn a $1000 scholarship by December 31st if you help contribute to this cause! So, you better sign up before it’s too late! 
8. Write a letter! 
   1. ​Although this may not be a volunteering opportunity, Letters of Gold sends letters to help those in need. They focus on one type of personality each month, and dedicate those months letters to the organization in need. For example, in October,  they mailed over 1000 letters to sexual abuse victims. This month, Letters of Gold is writing to seniors in honor of the holiday season. Be a part of the change and help out by writing a letter today! 
9. Make-a-wish
   1. ​We’ve all heard of Macy’s and their huge department store, but did you know they partner up with Make-a-wish during the holiday season? Make-a-wish is a foundation that helps fulfil the wishes of children with chronic illnesses. Macy’s partners Make-a-wish to raise money for these incredible children. For each letter you write to the organization, Macy’s donates a dollar to the organization. Every year they manage to raise over 1 million dollars, and together they have helped so many children watch their dreams come to life. 
10. Amnesty Decoders
    1. ​Are you an activist in your community? Do you enjoy standing up for what you think is right and using your voice? If so, check out Amnesty Decoders’ volunteer program! As a volunteer, students can use their devices to help their researchers sift through pictures, information, and documents. If you’re interested in making a change in your global community, check out their website for more details and register to be a volunteer!
11. Learn To Be
    1. ​Interested in getting quick service hours and spending time with kids? Then, tutoring is for you! Learn To Be’s tutoring program is a really great way to do so! Currently, the program has already supported 2,000 K-12 students, and with your help, they could reach even more. Check out their website and application if you’re interested in applying!
12. ​The Trevor Project
    1. ​The Trevor Project is a hotline that provides crisis intervention services for LGBTQ youth. Volunteers must be 18 years or older to apply and can be a part of a variety of different programs. Before they begin, volunteers must have a personal computer and high speed internet connection which they will use to help connect to youth in need. After they have the necessary tools, volunteers complete a 40-hour online training with self-paced learning modules and supervised shifts. After they finish their training, volunteers have to commit at least one year, and they must be willing to spend around three hours a week with the initiative. Ready to give it a try? Click here!
13. Interns4Good
    1. ​High schoolers, do you want to build your resume by tutoring students? Then check out Interns 4 Good, an initiative that provides 1-on-1 virtual turing to a large network of students across the U.S. Interns 4 Good helps students find an easier and more efficient way to study and learn new concepts. This program doesn’t have intensive training or strict hours! What’s best is that it helps students attain school credit while helping students across the country. If you are interested in being a virtual volunteer, or intern, click here!
14. More?   
    1. ​If these items just didn’t fit your style, check out VolunteerMatch’s selection of virtual volunteering opportunities! Their activities vary from Creating Hygiene Kits to Adopting a Family for the holidays! Some other great volunteering opportunities we haven’t mentioned are tutoring a neighbor or younger student on zoom, setting up a toy or book drive to give to those in need, or coming up with your own amazing idea! We hope you continue to give back during these hard times and, most importantly, stay safe! ​​