Volunteering with TAF
TAF volunteers are really great and they’re working for an important but often under-appreciated cause. That makes them both favored to win and underdogs, and what could be cooler than that?
On their own or as part of a group, TAF volunteers make an immeasurable difference in the lives of students. Volunteers:
- Build a more-cohesive team when they volunteer with friends or co-workers
- Learn and develop new skills (read: resume builders!)
- Shape the educational experience of a diverse group of students
- Become part of the TAF family
- Fill in the blank with whatever you want to get out of volunteering
Volunteering in the Classroom
Volunteering in the Classroom
Enough of that one-off volunteer work. You want to be in the trenches. We’ve got just the thing: work with TAF students during class.
Classroom Assistants …
support STEM Up teachers in class by answering students’ questions, offering insights about their projects, and laughing at STEM Up teachers’ jokes when no one else does. This is no small commitment: these friendly folks typically work with students twice per week, for 90 minutes at a time.
Adopt-a-Classroom …
is a cool way to get involved if you don’t have a ton of time on your hands, but you have a group of friends or co-workers who want to volunteer with you. You form a team and take turns rotating as classroom assistants (see above). This opportunity will provide you and your friends with an endless number of conversation topics after hours.
Teacher-Scientist Partners …
are typically STEM professionals whose skill set matches something students are working on at TAF Academy. You’ll work with students (and teachers) regularly, helping them make connections between what they’re learning in the classroom and what they’ll use it for in the real world. If you’ve thought it would be cool to be a teacher but you couldn’t live with the salary, this is your chance to make a rewarding commitment.
Being a Teacher-Scientist Partner requires us to have a relationship with your company; some of our company partners even let you work on this during your work day. Check out this information and contact us if you’re interested in learning more.
Volunteering at Events
Volunteering at Events
Events are fun and don’t require a long-term commitment. So if you want to make a difference on the fly, contact us about working an event!
Career Gurus …
help our students get ready for careers, especially in STEM fields. Get interviewed by TAF Academy students; they’ll ask about how you got to where you are, what you like and dislike about it, and other juicy questions. Get our students ready for internship interviews by grilling them on their own experience and skills. And, of course, more.
Judges and Authentic Audience Members …
give critical feedback on students’ projects at events like the summer TechStart/STEM Up Expo and quarterly TAF Academy exhibitions. Our need for this varies depending on the projects students will be presenting; sometimes we need experts in certain fields, and sometimes we just need people who want to contribute by discovering the cool stuff TAF students have been up to.
Doers of Other Stuff …
do other stuff. We have a lot of events, like college fairs, fundraisers, and celebrations. And we need a lot of volunteers for set-up, parking, registration, and more.
Other Volunteer Opportunities
Other Volunteer Opportunities
There’s always something to do at TAF!
Mentors …
meet with a TAF Academy student once per month to help them with homework, college prep and applications, and more. The only requirement (besides the background check!) is that you’re a college grad yourself.
Translators …
use their mad language skills to help us communicate with the diverse audience we serve. We need you to help us translate materials for student recruitment and registration, for things we send home to parents, and for use in the classroom. Here are some languages our students’ families speak:
- Amharic
- Arabic
- Mandarin/Cantonese
- Spanish
- Vietnamese
Organizational Supporters …
help us out by doing stuff like:
- Event planning
- Donor or curriculum research
- Photography or videography
- Office admin support
- Insert your skill here!