Children and Teens Program Volunteers
The Children and Teens Program Volunteers are people that:
- Enjoy working with children of all ages
- Are positive, caring, and compassionate
- Are able to encourage individual creativity
- Are enthusiastic, flexible, and energetic
- Are able to engage and re-direct the children when necessary
Volunteer Expectations:
- Be flexible. Assignments for program night are usually given out at program night during the volunteer huddle. Please come to program night with the willingness to work with children of all ages. The Senior Family Support Specialist for Youth will try to accommodate volunteers who have an age preference; however, that is not always possible.
- Be on time. Usually, the children come into the program at 7:15. All volunteers need to be present at 7:00 for the volunteer huddle when the assignments are given out. If you are going to be late, please email the Senior Family Support Specialist for Youth in advance.
- Come ready to play with the kids! This includes your attitude as well as your attire.
Most activities planned for the children are interactive and, in many cases, involve play. They can be messy and sometimes on the floor. Wear clothing that is comfortable and allows you to move around and/or sit on the floor.
- Come ready to engage! Most of our activities require some creativity and thought. Arrive prepared to engage with the kids to help them think through the planned activities. We know how children can become withdrawn as a result of the trauma of homelessness, and they sometimes need a little help expressing themselves.
- Be positive! All of the TCP kids need positive reinforcement. Come ready to express praise and positive affirmations to the children to help them build much-needed healthy self-esteem.
- Give feedback. If you have any negative or positive thoughts about the program night regarding the children or the program itself, please share. We depend on the feedback of our volunteers to improve our program.
Volunteers are welcomed and encouraged to join the staff, families, and volunteers for dinner at 6:30. This is often a good time to talk with and get to know the children, parents of the children in the program, and other volunteers. If you cannot make it to dinner, please arrive by 6:50 pm for the Volunteer Huddle that begins at 7:00 p.m. The Children and Teens Program starts promptly at 7:15.The program usually ends around 9:00 p.m. It is helpful if volunteers can stay until the end; however, if they need to leave at 8:30 p.m., that is fine.
Trauma-Informed Training is required of all our volunteers and is scheduled intermittently throughout the year. This is not required before volunteering but needs to be completed at the next available session.
Thank you for making an impact on a precious child’s life!
Complete the Volunteer Form to get started.