COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS: How MA Students Can Get Linked Into Volunteer Opportunities, Internships and Jobs

1. COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS:How MA Students Can Get Linked Into Volunteer Opportunities, Internships and Jobs A Presentation to MAPA Lauren Toker ltoker@ma.org Director of Community Action Programs November 2013

2. Why Are Such Opportunities Important? • Build 21st century skills • Experience – volunteer experience can lead to employment opportunities • Burst the bubble – broaden the scope of people & issues that students generally encounter • People that engage in humanitarian work earlier in life are more likely to have a larger impact on their community as adults • Lead to increased happiness

3. How To Find Out About These Opportunities By Using the MA Website? • Go to http://www.ma.org/community • Information about school sponsored programs such as Crossroads, Youth Grants Board, etc. • List of regularly updated current volunteer opportunities • Links to dozens of volunteer resources

4. Short Term Volunteer Opportunities The following volunteer center websites have fantastic search engines for short term volunteer opportunities: Marin http://volunteermarin.org San Francisco http://thevolunteercenter.net East Bay http://www.volunteereastbay.org

5. Long Term Volunteer Opportunities/ Internships • These days most internship placements and jobs are achieved through previous volunteer experience and personal connections • Encourage students to volunteer at places they wish to intern or work at in the future • Working on building a database of parent/alumni connections that will take on MA students as interns for senior projects, summers, etc. • Interest in internships in medical, science and tech fields

6. Jobs • The reality of today’s job market • Jobs – making money vs. gaining experience • Making money – retail! - coffee shops, grocery stores, etc. • Experience – again, volunteer experience leads to jobs • More summer opportunities – Aim High, camps, lifeguarding, museums, etc.

7. Summer Opportunities • Summer Long Volunteer Opportunities • Summer Jobs • Educational Programs • International Summer Programs

8. Summer Long Volunteer Opportunities Long term volunteer opportunities are usually found through networking. Here are some ideas to consider: • Ask your friends and network if they know of any internships or volunteer opportunities for your child • Have your child narrow down what they want to do this summer and make an appointment with me • Conduct a Google search with key words such as “school gardening Marin” or “swim lessons low income Marin,” research organizations and make phone calls

9. Educational Summer Programs These programs have an academic focus and are often held on university campuses during the summer. See handout for additional resources.

10. International Summer Programs These are study abroad programs. Many are community service focused. When choosing one for your son/daughter, here are some things to consider: • When can my son/daughter travel? • Where do I feel comfortable with them traveling to? • Do I want them to have a focus on the trip? – i.e. language development, service, eco-tourism, etc. • How true does the organization seem to their mission? - i.e. if it is a service based trip – do the students spend time doing manual labor or are they surfing for most of the trip and spend 1 day helping out at a school? • Does the trip seem grassroots in nature? Do you think it genuinely helps the local community? • How much does the trip cost? (note that usually airfare is not included)

11. Students Can Contact Me I am available to meet with students on an individual basis. Lauren Toker ltoker@ma.org 415-482-3248