VOLUNTEER IN EAST PALO ALTO
Volunteer with East Palo Alto youth.
Volunteers must be 16 or older, unless accompanied by an adult. No prior experience is needed! Our volunteers are students, full-time workers, and retirees who have two or more hours per week to help a student succeed.
- Rooted in East Palo Alto since 1984
- Background check for ongoing volunteers 18 and over
- Staff on site during program hours
WHAT WE DO HERE
One neighborhood, since 1984.
Hope Horizon offers a safe space, homework help, and STEM enrichment, a six-week summer camp, college scholarships, and optional mentoring for TK through 12th grade students East of Bayshore. Volunteers are not extra help around the edges. They are key to the success of our students.
WAYS TO SERVE
Where you might fit.
Homework Helper
Sit with one student and work through homework, 4 to 6 pm, Monday through Thursday. Tutoring and reading-buddy roles run at summer camp rather than through the school year.
Start with this Mon–Thu · 5–6 pmSpiritual mentor
Spiritual mentors meet with students from 5 to 6 pm, within our Monday to Thursday afterschool window. Spiritual mentors must be 18 or older.
Start with this Tue & Thu · 5–6:30 pmElementary School First LEGO League
5 to 6:30 pm, Tuesday and Thursday.
Start with this Mon & Wed · 5–6:30 pmMiddle School First LEGO League
5 to 6:30 pm, Monday and Wednesday.
Start with this ChurrobotsHigh School Robotics
Interested in coaching high school robotics?
Learn more here Fridays · 4–6 pmFriday Hang
Friday Hangs are relaxed gatherings serving middle school and elementary students on alternating weeks. You are welcome to bring an activity you enjoy, such as art or a sport, but you do not have to.
Start with this CampusReceptionist
The receptionist greets visitors, volunteers, and parents and ensures lobby and facility safety.
Start with this Summer + eventsCamp or event help
Summer camp and a small number of Friday events across the year.
Start with this FlexibleVolunteer in your area of expertise
Photography, writing, design, or grant work, offered on a schedule that fits you.
Start with thisPlanning a group service day? Contact us early so we can identify a project that is genuinely useful to the programs. Group projects often work best as facility-improvement days or alongside one of our Friday events.
VOLUNTEER INTEREST
Start here.
If you are not sure which role is right for you, please indicate that on the interest form. We'll be in touch to help you find the right fit.
Tell us you are interested
This short form is not the application. It tells us who you are so we can send the right next step. You will get an automatic email with the application link and the steps that follow it. Nothing here is a commitment until you say so.
SAFETY AND SUPPORT
What we require, and what you get.
What we require
- The minimum age for volunteers is 16, unless accompanied by an adult. The minimum age for the spiritual mentor role is 18.
- Every volunteer age 18 or older must be cleared through a Live Scan background check before working one-on-one with students.
- Unscreened volunteers may help at events but are not permitted to be alone with students.
What you get
- Staff on site during program hours.
- A volunteer orientation on our origin story, mission, and volunteer opportunities.
- Reading and math support materials, including a recorded reading support webinar and math games onsite.
- Help finding the right role if you are not sure where you fit.
WHAT IT IS ACTUALLY LIKE
Show up for a kid. That is the whole job.
Our academic school year programs take place Monday through Thursday in the late afternoon, during our afterschool hours. Spiritual mentors meet slightly later. Friday Hang runs on Fridays, alternating between middle school and elementary.
You do not need to be a teacher. What matters most is consistency, willingness to listen, and respect for young people and families.
WHAT SHOWING UP MEANS
Consistency matters more than expertise.
Nobody here needs you to arrive as an expert. What a student notices is whether the same adult comes back next week, and the week after that.
A TYPICAL AFTERNOON
What the two hours actually look like.
- Students arrive from school, have a snack, and settle in.
- You sit with a student and work through reading, math, or homework at their pace.
- Staff are on site the whole time.
- No homework on Fridays! Just for fun or learning a new skill.
- You return each week. That's what matters most!
Want to see Hope Horizon in action?
Visit during an afterschool afternoon, meet our team, and learn where your time or skills could fit.
No commitment, no application, and nobody will ask you for money at the door.
More ways to help
Not ready to volunteer? Open a door another way.
$250 sends a kid to camp for six weeks. A monthly gift keeps a tutoring seat open all year. Both reach the same students you would sit beside.