Why Volunteer?

826 Boston was voted Best Place to Volunteer in the Boston Globe's Best of the New for 2008. Click on the logo to read more!

Here's what Benjamin, 826 Boston volunteer extraordinaire, has to say about why you should volunteer:

"The best part of volunteering at 826 Boston is the sense of 'possibility' that is always palpable. New worlds are being created constantly. Not only worlds of imagination and learning, but also a world where every student can realize their own gifts. I always leave with the feeling that things just might be alright."

826 Boston is always looking for volunteers to help out, from providing homework help for students after school, to creating Saturday writing workshops, to steering in-school publishing projects and working in the Greater Boston Bigfoot Research Institute.

Volunteer Orientations & Trainings!

If you're interested in tutoring, leading a workshop, or working with 826 Boston in any way, attend a new volunteer meeting! All volunteers are required to attend an orientation & training which lasts about two hours. We will go over all the programming we run, helpful tips & tricks, role-play our new tutoring skills, and talk about strategies for working with students of different ages, skills, and needs. The upcoming volunteer orientations & trainings are:

Tuesday, September 14th, 6:00 pm Saturday, September 25th, 3:30 pm

Sign up for an upcoming orientation and training here.

All trainings are located in the 826 Boston writing center, 3035 Washington Street in Roxbury. Click here for directions. If you are able to attend, shoot an email to info [at] 826boston.org. And if you haven't already, download a volunteer application, fill it out, and bring it with you.

Teach a Workshop!

Our workshop calendar of exciting offerings for students depends entirely on our volunteers! From silly to serious, multi- or mono-media, we want to hear your idea! Take a look at the workshop guidelines and submit your proposal to karen [at] 826boston.org. We are currently accepting workshop proposals through June 2010, including February and April School break weeks.

Download a workshop proposal. Download the workshop guidelines.

Donate Your Expertise!

We need the support of volunteers from a variety of backgrounds to make this project a success. Among anyone willing to lend a hand, we are in particular need of:

• Architects and builders, to help us improve our cryptozoology shop
• Carpenters, the mechanically inclined, and handy folks of all types
• Web designers, programmers, networking experts and techies of various sorts
• Graphic designers and artists
• Copy-editors and those with publishing experience
• Musicians, poets, and authors
• Grant-writers
• Fundraisers
• Event planners
• Those with marketing experience
• Those with management experience
• Those with budgeting and financial experience
• Those with retail experience to help develop the store

Download a volunteer application.

Volunteer of the Month: August 2010

We are excited to announce Ernesto Hernandez as our August Volunteer of the Month! Ernesto helped out during summer camp mummifying chickens, building bridges, making ice cream and going on field trips with the students. He also assisted all of our August workshops!

"826 Boston is an amazing resource for students from the JP/Roxbury/Dorchester area. They strive and excel at making learning fun for the kids, and for the staff and volunteers as well. This creates such a positive, welcoming environment, and the creative ways they find to keep the children engaged in different ways is always exciting and enjoyable. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed volunteering there, and feel 826 Boston has become a vital part of what makes this such a great neighborhood."

Ernesto is a professional poker player from Jamaica Plain, Boston. After deciding to pursue a masters in education, he turned to 826 Boston to gain some experience working with young children in a learning environment. He hopes to become an elementary teacher in the Boston Public School system. Thank you, Ernesto, for all your time and dedication!

Thank you to Harvard Book Store for sponsoring our Volunteer of the Month program!

See our past Volunteers of the Month!

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