While COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out across the US and business are starting to return to normal operations, many non-profits, particularly those that serve people with compromised health, remain closed to volunteers. As a result, students are struggling to find meaningful community service opportunities. Here are some virtual ways you can have a global impact from your home.
Amnesty Decoders: https://decoders.amnesty.org
Join a global network of volunteers to help locate and expose human rights violations by sifting through critical information and photos from your computer or smartphone.
Be My Eyes: https://www.bemyeyes.com
Use your smartphone to help blind and low-vision people with daily tasks like checking expiry dates, distinguishing colors, reading instructions or navigating new surroundings.
Benentech: https://benetech.org/
Help develop technology solutions to address large social problems, like access to education, social services and human rights.
Book Share (A Benentech Initiative): https://www.bookshare.org
Contribute your skills and passions to help people with print disabilities read by scanning, proofreading and describing images.
Code for Social Good: https://app.code4socialgood.org
Donate your coding skills on a wide range of projects both local and international.
Do Something: We Are A Youth-Led Movement for Good | DoSomething.org
Earn volunteer hours and possible scholarship dollars through one of the many local campaigns spearheaded by this youth-led organization.
Smithsonian Digital Volunteers: https://transcription.si.edu/
Make historical documents and biodiversity data more accessible as one of over 49,000 “volunpeers” by transcribing historical field notes, diaries, ledgers, logbooks, currency proof sheets, photo albums, manuscripts, biodiversity specimen labels, and audio recordings.
United Nations Volunteers: Home | UNV Online Volunteering service
Join UN volunteers worldwide on hundreds of projects that contribute to peace and development on a global scale.
Zooniverse: https://www.zooniverse.org/projects
Assist professional researchers on the world’s largest and most popular platform for people-powered research to achieve faster progress and understanding of the world more quickly than would otherwise be possible.
While you still may not be able to volunteer at the hospital or senior living center, there are still many ways to impact your community. Get creative and start volunteering!
