Students at NYU have a plethora of opportunities to volunteer, be it through NYU or the thousands of charities, community organizations and service groups in New York City. At NYU, the Office of Civic Engagement and the Center for Student Activities, Leadership and Service compile lists of opportunities for students and provide guidance on how to get involved. Similarly, NYCares and NYC Service provide databases of service opportunities throughout the five boroughs.

Volunteering is a fulfilling way to give back to the community, and it will look great on your resume. Here are a few ways that you can get involved.

New York City Parks

CAS freshmen will remember volunteering with the New York City Parks and Recreation Department at the beginning of last semester. The Parks Department and the City Parks Foundation particularly need day volunteers during the spring and fall. Tasks include cleaning up parks, clearing weeds and landscaping.

Alternative Breaks

Within NYU, CSALS sponsors alternative breaks which give students the opportunity to volunteer at a site within the United States or abroad. Each trip is based around a particular issue; for example, the winter 2014 trip to India focused on poverty-related issues like access to clean water and health care. Many of the trips are also done in conjunction with non-governmental organizations and nonprofits including the Gesundheit! Institute and the Foundation for Sustainable Development.

Alternative breaks require a year long commitment, although participation in both the spring and winter breaks is not required. The application for next year’s program is set to be released this April or May.

Tutoring

For those who want to stay in New York, there are many opportunities to provide high school exam and high school equivalency exam tutoring. At NYU, the Petey Greene Club offers NYU students the opportunity to help tutor high school students, HSE students at Rikers Island and students in prison.

“It’s a great opportunity for mutual learning,” said Christine Sneve, one of the club leaders, about being a tutor at RNDC, the under-18 facility.

The NYU Petey Greene club also organizes talks and screenings related to criminal justice reform. Volunteering at Rikers does require a background check, so volunteers must be US citizens. For people 21 and older, Petey Greene offers the opportunity to volunteer at the two federal facilities in New York City, neither of which require volunteers to be US citizens.

Email Shiva Darshan at [email protected].