Volunteer with HW Organizations
The Kid’s Backyard is a service for young children filled with a variety of safe, fun, and engaging videos! Videos can be done at any time. Apply on the website or email ksteers1@hwemail, [email protected], or [email protected] for more information.
Leaders United for Change
Leaders United for Change is an organization completely led by students who work to help the community by sharing their talents. We help students discover their identity, solidify their independence, and promote their diligence through selfless service.
Dandelion Project
We make educational videos with easy English vocabularies for kids in underprivileged areas. We would need volunteers to make videos ranging from 2-5 min on any topics.
Contact Info: Christina Zhao ([email protected])
Contact Info: Christina Zhao ([email protected])
Bored of Boredom
Bored of Boredom provides free online enrichment to students in preschool through eighth grad, offering individual class sessions in both academic and extracurricular subjects such as feminist history, astronomy, countering climate change, ancient Egyptian society and culture, Zumba, singing, creative writing, solving math puzzles, and story-time. Children are matched with tutors based on similar interests.These children are incredibly academically and socioeconomically diverse, in addition to many of our students speaking English as a second language. Even though Bored of Boredom does not require any payment for our services, they humbly request that families make donations to the Save the Children programs that provide technology to families that cannot afford it. Closing the digital divide helps more people access educational services during these unprecedented times, and is an integral part of the organization's mission, which is mainly to provide access to education during these uncertain times to all people, especially those who have historically been excluded. (on a side note, we've been contacted by the chief science officer of the Bezos Foundation for a potential partnership and we are working on a partnership with Students Run. For more information on this organization, check out their instagram page here.
With Love
Ever since the pandemic swept across the nation in March, seniors have not only been disproportionately impacted by the physical effects of the coronavirus but have also experienced a decline in mental health. After speaking to several senior home coordinators across LA, we've heard that elderly residents haven't been able to meet with family members or sit in the dining halls together. For weeks on end, they've been cloistered in their rooms with almost no form of communication to sustain them. A few months ago, we founded With Love, a card-writing program in which we hand-write letters and send them to seniors in convalescent homes across the nation. We are now expanding into a pen-pal program, meaning that participants will have the option to either correspond directly with seniors or send cards once without further commitment. Our ultimate goal is to forge intergenerational bonds between students and the elderly and to give the seniors something to look forward to every week. If you'd like an excuse to draw or write (or are just bored with nothing else better to do), please reach out!
Contact Hannah Han '21 ([email protected]) or Walt Schoen '21 ([email protected]) for more info.
Contact Hannah Han '21 ([email protected]) or Walt Schoen '21 ([email protected]) for more info.
HW Miles of Smiles
This year, the HW Miles of Smiles club will continue to raise awareness of different inequities in society and help fill in gaps where disparities exist. Over the summer, we collected supplies such as toilet paper, hygiene products, and sanitary wipes which we donated to a women’s shelter called Elizabeth House. We were able to directly ship to them essential supplies that were difficult to acquire in the times of COVID-19. This year, we hope to collect even more supplies for donation. If we can safely do so, we will resume hands-on work such as volunteering at shelters and personally delivering essential supplies directly to different organizations. During our meetings, we will identify organizations we can assist and create plans to reach out to them with proposals for how we can support their respective causes.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hwmilesofsmiles/
Contact: Elise Chen - [email protected]
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hwmilesofsmiles/
Contact: Elise Chen - [email protected]
Inkshed
The goal of Inkshed is to bring the arts to elementary age students without many opportunities to engage with art. Inkshed is meant to share those beautiful “aha” moments, those moments where you decide that writing, singing, acting, or painting is a part of you, those moments that make you an artist. The Inkshed team began by teaching art, music, writing, and theater lessons to students at Rio Vista Elementary School. Now, during the coronavirus pandemic, we have adapted our in-person lesson plans to around thirty fifteen-minute videos. In art, the lessons are easy tutorials that require only a pencil and paper. They start with basics such as shapes and shading, and lead to drawing complex facial features. In music, students learn about genres of music, music around the world, musical notation, and music in the movies. In writing, we break down storytelling, and talk about characters, perspectives, and the relationship between writers and readers. Each video includes writing games and prompts for students to follow, and questions to spark discussion. Theater videos talk about emotions, body language, and how to perform dramatic writing. Each video has games for students to practice their acting skills, and includes examples of HW students acting out scenes. We’re so happy that Inkshed can still bring art to students during quarantine!! We think that now, more than ever, it's time for all of the beautiful "aha" moments. Contact Dottie Shayegan at [email protected] for more information.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ79q6X03zfVqJ1xCP_PhIQ
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ79q6X03zfVqJ1xCP_PhIQ
For the Child
During the current stay at home order, the risk of child abuse has risen significantly. To help reduce child abuse, Jake Grossman is working with a 501(c)(3) organization called For The Child to collect new board games to give at risk children and families a fun indoor family activity. If you are able, please join him in helping these children and families by purchasing a game on this Amazon wish list that he will deliver to For the Child. The games range from $5 to $30 dollars and will make a difference in these children’s lives.
Un-Silence Foundation
The Un-Silence foundation is a student led, non profit volunteering opportunity that aims to help spread music education to kids in underserved communities! Help out by either creating reading material about topics of music and/or music history, or send a video of a recording of you performing a piece of music for a collage that will be sent to foster and senior homes!
Requirements: Must be a high school student.
Website: https://www.unsilencefdn.org/
Requirements: Must be a high school student.
Website: https://www.unsilencefdn.org/