Youth Friendly Volunteering

You're never too young to serve.

We believe in fostering a lifelong passion for civic engagement—whether you're 5 or 95!

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Family friendly project on bring your child to work day

Ages 5-13

Family Friendly

Looking to volunteer with your kids?

Children ages 5-13 can volunteer with a parent or legal guardian on projects designated as Family Friendly. Family Friendly projects offer age-appropriate tasks for children to work alongside their parent/guardian. There is a maximum of 2 children per adult volunteer.

Two young volunteers serving meals

Ages 14-17

Teen Friendly

Looking to volunteer as a teen?

Teens ages 14-17 can volunteer solo on projects designated as Teen Friendly. Whether getting a group of friends together, simply passionate about a cause, or need service hours for school, all teens are welcome!

Note: Once a parent or guardian has created an account, teens ages 14-17 will also need to complete volunteer orientation before they can participate on Teen Friendly projects.

How to get started

Start volunteering

1️⃣ For Family Friendly and Teen Friendly projects, a parent or guardian must create a New York Cares account first. This ensures that both the adult and youth volunteers know what to expect on a New York Cares project

 

2️⃣ Once an adult (18 & older) account is created, an adult can register a youth volunteer to their family roster, which will also include a one-time online waiver. Note: Teens ages 14-17 will receive a welcome email after account creation with a link to our volunteer orientation, which they will need to complete to participate on Teen Friendly projects.

 

3️⃣ Sign up for a project! 

 

Congratulations!

You’ve just accessed thousands of volunteering opportunities across NYC! Get the family together to care for a local park in your neighborhood or earn volunteer hours for school by playing bingo with older adults – there’s so much you can do to make a difference.
 

Have questions?

Visit our help center
To find more information on youth friendly volunteering, such as how to print out your Project History, request a signed letter of service, and much more, head over to our help center. 
 
All New York Cares volunteers, including youth volunteers, are automatically eligible to receive awards for their service, such as the Presidential Volunteer Service Award and Mayoral Service Recognition Award.
"Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve."