Service Program Opportunities for College Students and Grads

This could be the perfect year to volunteer. In the midst of a global health crisis, and while extreme weather batters poor communities, need is greater than ever. College students and graduates can make big impacts on local and global communities by volunteering with a service program.

Service programs like AmeriCorps and City Year connect young people with paid positions where they can work for the greater good. Program volunteers partner with communities to mentor and tutor kids, rebuild after disasters, and clean up natural areas.

This year, service programs are seeing a surge in student interest. Surveys show that more students are weighing their options over the summer and considering a gap year. Rather than attend college online or try to find a job, students can pursue a third option. Service work can make taking time off — before, during, or after college — worthwhile.

Service programs, also known as civil society programs, provide opportunities to work for the public good across the country and around the globe. Volunteers can apply for a wide variety of roles in many locations. Some service programs last a few months, while others last a year or more.

This network of national service programs has around 75,000 participants each year. Volunteers serve from three months to a year, joining forces with a cohort and a community organization to fight the effects of poverty, help veterans and low-income communities, build affordable housing, mentor and tutor kids, sustain national parks, clean up natural environments, and rebuild after disasters.

Volunteers join one of three branches:

An agency for senior citizen aid, Senior Corps combines three programs: the Foster Grandparent Program, the Senior Companion Program, and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program. Community chapters connect young people to elderly Americans in need. Senior citizen volunteers can also find mentorship opportunities and contribute their skills.

An education nonprofit that puts volunteers in inner-city classrooms to tutor, mentor, and student-teach, City Year allows young people to experience a year of full-time community service in cities in the U.S., the U.K., and South Africa. Founded in 1988, City Year is now a partner of AmeriCorps.

Founded by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, the Peace Corps provides social and economic assistance to needy areas in the world. Volunteers with governments, schools, and NGOs work to build infrastructure and provide education. The Peace Corps has three founding goals:

Students should note that the Peace Corps has suspended its operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

The reverberating effects of COVID-19 on schools, students, employers, and employees have made it harder to stick to education and career plans. Taking a service gap year offers college students and college grads a unique opportunity to build skills and contribute to the world while waiting for the economy to settle.

Service programs’ many agencies and volunteer posts have responded to the coronavirus pandemic in different ways. While most international volunteers have been called home, many stateside volunteers continue to work.

The Peace Corps suspended its global operations in March, evacuating its more than 7,000 volunteers worldwide. Some of those Peace Corps volunteers have begun to serve through AmeriCorps instead. According to AmeriCorps, the majority of the country’s 75,000 AmeriCorps members have maintained or adapted their posts.

Whether or not CNCS volunteers have been able to fulfill their contract, the $2.2 trillion emergency relief bill passed in March provided stipends for service program participants. The bill allowed grant recipients to receive grant money and graduating service members to earn education awards, even if the pandemic prevented them from completing their service terms.

In addition to supporting current volunteers, some politicians and educators have called for increased funding for federal teaching and civil service programs for young people. As part of ongoing COVID-19 response efforts, CNCS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourage partnerships between health departments and national service programs.

Researchers have observed that when jobs are harder to find, applications to service programs tend to increase. Now, jobs are hard to find. And the need for volunteers is great.

Many AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and City Year programs continue to accept applications and address critical community needs. All three programs serve under-resourced communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and resultant lockdowns.

The health crisis requires large temporary workforces to respond to emerging needs, such as administering the contact-tracing programs that are being considered in some states. The pandemic has shifted some positions online, and many service programs continue to carry out their mission in new ways.

International opportunities, however, are on hold. The Peace Corps says it is “eager for Volunteers to return to service,” but that posts will stay empty until health and safety can be assured. For now, the Peace Corps is accepting applications for future opportunities.

COVID-19 forced many students to reconsider their education and career plans. If you’re thinking about taking a gap year as an undergraduate, make sure that your college permits students to return after time off. Many schools allow first-year students to defer admission, but some force students to reapply.

While the Peace Corps is on hold until at least 2021, AmeriCorps has active listings for volunteer opportunities, as does the Gap Year Association, VolunteerMatch, Idealist, and All for Good. Additionally, the Service Year Alliance has new job availabilities in pandemic response. You can also explore service opportunities in your state.

Serving your community doesn’t have to be a yearlong commitment. There are many opportunities for college students and grads to volunteer now. For example, the upcoming election requires poll workers, Habitat for Humanity continues to build homes, and Meals on Wheels needs volunteers to help feed the hungry.

Finally, perhaps the most impactful volunteerism a college student can offer at this time is tutoring K-12 students. Educators say that tutoring programs are key to battling the “COVID slide.” While the pandemic upends education plans, college students can develop professional skills and help the next cohort.