Volunteer at The Bridge for Youth
The Bridge for Youth appreciates community members who wish to make a difference for youth. Volunteers play a vital role, offering support, sharing expertise, and even saving staff time and dollars, which increases the capacity of The Bridge to work with youth.
Whether you can only commit to two hours one day or want to be involved every month, we welcome your help and expertise in making a difference for the youth we serve. We hope you will join our team of volunteers!
GROUP & ONE-TIME OPPORTUNITIES
Groups or one-time opportunities allow you to make a difference even if you have limited time to volunteer or want to volunteer as a group to make a tangible impact on our ability to help youth.
- Tuesday Taco’s & Trivia: (5-7 volunteers) Host and enjoy tacos and trivia while engaging in conversations and connecting with youth. Volunteers purchase groceries and provide gift cards for trivia. Hosted the 3rd Tuesday of the month from 5:30 – 8:00pm. Volunteers must be over 21 years old.
- Event Volunteers: Help with set up, tear down, and support for The Bridge annual fundraising event (typically in July).
- Donation Drive: Coordinate a donation drive at your school, church or employer. Please see our wish list for an inventory of needed items and information on how to drop-off donations.
- Fundraisers: Plan a fundraiser to secure dollars for The Bridge. Every dollar invested in The Bridge is leveraged to provide stability and support for homeless youth.
Email us to request more information.
DIRECT-SERVICE VOLUNTEERS
Direct service volunteers make an incredible difference for the young people we serve. Because The Bridge values the safety, confidentiality and comfort of our youth, these opportunities require a greater level of commitment, an interview process and specific training to prepare individuals for direct-service volunteering. All volunteers must be 21 years old or older.
- Childcare Volunteer: Provide supervision for children ages 0-3. Interact with young parents and model positive childcare behavior. Shifts are Time and Day, and require at least x shifts per month with a x month commitment.
- Front Desk Volunteer: Support The Bridge staff with administrative tasks such as data entry, mailings, and general office support. Shifts are x – x (time and date), and require at least 2 shifts per month with a six month commitment.
- Skill-Based Volunteer: Provide a skill-based class for young people, such as basic financial management, job searching skills, or computer skills. Dates and times vary, six month commitment required.
Sign-up process: Because these opportunities involve working with minor youth, we screen and interview our volunteers to ensure our youth’s safety. Check out the FAQs to learn more about the process to become a volunteer or email us to request more information.
INTERNSHIPS
The Bridge coordinates one of the largest, most rigorous youth worker and youth counselor training programs in the Twin Cities. Each year, college students from across the state participate in our counseling internship program.
Email us to request more information.
Program Education Volunteer
Program Education Volunteer Position PDF
Position Overview:
This position involves assisting youth with distance learning, homework, projects, test preparations, papers and other academic support. In addition to providing educational support, the ideal candidate will have skills and compassion to building the capacity of youth with direct experience working with non-traditional learners (IEP’s/other educational supports), BIPOC and LGBTQIA youth. Comfortable with technology utilized for distance learning as well as other educational software. Based on program need, volunteers will be assigned to either Marlene’s Place, Gloria’s Place or Resilience House.
Qualifications:
- Experience teaching, tutoring, and/or working with youth with IEP’s/other education support, PARA educators/non-traditional learners
- Must be 21-years or older
- Must clear a background check
- Minimum commitment to volunteer twice a week for a minimum of six months
To apply: Email your resume with the subject line “Program Education Volunteer” to Tim Mercure at t.mercure@bridgeforyouth.org. Please share your availability in the body of the email.
