Our volunteer program is another option for people who wish to get more involved in the community or want to gain experience working with youth but who are unable to commit to a full time member position.
We are currently accepting applications.

Straight Up Volunteer Program
In an effort to help build the community and increase educational success rates, Straight Up AmeriCorps has expanded its volunteer outreach program with a goal of placing 50 volunteers throughout Humboldt County. Volunteers assist Straight Up members by serving directly with youth at a variety of host sites such as schools, community centers and shelter programs. Although each AmeriCorps host site within the Straight Up AmeriCorps partnership has unique attributes, all volunteers are involved in direct service with youth through mentoring, service learning projects and/or assisting in after school programs.

Program Description
There is no typical day in the life a volunteer because each site has different needs and each volunteer has different skills and interests. Volunteers are teamed up with full time AmeriCorps members to provide more individualized attention to kindergarten through high school aged youth. For example, you can tutor or help with homework in an after school program. You can lead lessons in arts and crafts, music, dance, hula-hooping or any other talent which you would like to share. You can lead a service learning project, for example going on a field trip to help maintain the wetlands. Each site has different needs and our goal is to match you with a site that best reflects your skills and interests. Click here for a list of sites.

Reasons to Volunteer
Volunteering is a great opportunity for anyone who enjoys working with youth and wants to give back to the community. If you are interested in a career in education or social work this is a fantastic way to build experience and looks great on a resume. Your volunteer time with Straight Up AmeriCorps can also count as credit for some classes and programs. If you are interested in becoming a paid AmeriCorps member but are unable to commit to a fulltime schedule yet or would like to gain experience working with youth first, this could also be an excellent opportunity for you. For older volunteers, this could be a fun opportunity to stay involved in the community after retirement. We are striving to build as diverse a volunteer team as possible so people of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Commitment and Requirements
Volunteers are asked to make a commitment to serve for 2 or more hours a week from now until the end of your service site's academic year (in May or June depending on your site). You will be asked to complete an initial placement interview and to attend a 2 hour training session. Finally, most sites also require a TB test and background check (which we will reimburse you for). Click here for more details on forms and requirements.

Differences Between Volunteers and Members
This page describes our volunteer program which has some very important distinctions from our member program. AmeriCorps members make a one year commitment to serve either 20 or 40 hours a week and in return receive a living stipend and an educational grant and other benefits. AmeriCorps volunteers do not need to commit as much time but are not eligible to receive the living stipend, educational grants or other benefits.
If you are not sure which program you would like to apply to then contact us and we can help you to decide. Or check out our member application page for more detailed position descriptions.

Apply
Our application process is very simple. We will conduct a brief placement interview to find out your interests so that we can match you to a site which best meets your interests and what you would like to get out of our program. After that we will set up a meeting where you can meet your potential site supervisor to finalize your schedule and duties. We encourage you to apply now even if you can not start your volunteer service right away. Click here to begin the application process.