English 
Español de México 
Volunteer
San Diego Youth Services strives to involve the San Diego Community in our services and mission. We believe our community members such as students, new graduates, professionals, retired folks, parents, clinical interns, and others, all have unique skills and abilities that will provide invaluable resources and support for the youth in our programs.
Our goal is to provide our volunteers with valuable experience and relevant training through our strength-centered placements. The community’s participation benefits and is greatly valued by SDYS and our service partners.
How to Become a Volunteer
Application Process
The process of becoming a volunteer starts with our volunteer application. Our volunteer coordinators will then reach out to you with information about an upcoming volunteer orientation.
After orientation, we'll connect you with a program to find a placement you’re comfortable with and that fits with your availability and the program’s needs. After finding a good fit, volunteers are asked to complete clearances before beginning their volunteer service.
Attending Orientation
Attending our volunteer orientation is mandatory for all incoming volunteers and provides interested volunteers with information about our organization, programs, philosophy and skills such as trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, abuse reporting and confidentiality.
Orientations are about an hour in duration and virtual meetings can be arranged according to the availability of our volunteer coordinators.
Required Clearances
Clearances include a background check (regular or CCL), drug screening, Tuberculosis screening, reference checks, other forms and driving clearances, if required by program of interest. Clearances are paid up front by volunteers and are eligible for reimbursement following service completion. We require that volunteers commit to a six-month service.
One-time volunteers are not required to complete clearances.
Thank you for your interest in serving San Diego's youth!
We are currently accepting new volunteers. If interested, please complete our volunteer application and our team will be in touch.
Youth Emergency Shelter
Location: Balboa Park Area (confidential location)
Position Title: Residential Milieu Volunteer
Hours/Schedule: Flexible Monday-Sunday (4-6 hr shifts. Prefer 200 hours or 6-month commitment.
Description of Duties: General milieu support to include tasks of, but not limited to: supervision of youth, support youth with minor projects like cleaning/organizing space, support Residential Counselors with tasks, and possible administrative tasks.
Hours/Schedule: Tuesday-Thursday 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Description of Duties: Supports the nonprofit’s operations by maintaining accurate donation inventory, receiving and moving donated items, preparing and mailing correspondence (printing, stuffing, and stamping), and assisting with other general administrative tasks as needed.
TAY Works!
Location: 3845 Spring Drive Spring Valley, CA 91977
Position Title: Marketing Volunteer
Number of Volunteers Needed: 1-2
Hours/Schedule: 1 day a week, approximately 5 hours
Description of Duties: Market the SDYS Ground Up coffee shop and TAY Works services by utilizing social media and creating flyers. This is a great opportunity for marketing students or recent grads looking for experience.
Hours/Schedule: Flexible 2-3 hours/2-3 times a week; Monday-Friday 9am-5pm (6-month commitment preferred)
Description of Duties: Join the admin staff by performing administrative duties such as filing, data entry, scanning, and to be a part of fiscal mini projects to help our fiscal department keep up to date with necessary files. Perfect for a recent college grad looking for an internship that could become a job opportunity! Background in accounting, fiscal, or business preferred.
- Childcare Support: Last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. during monthly support groups
- Outreach & Tabling: Flexible scheduling based on event dates
- Transportation Assistance: After-school hours preferred; schedule coordinated based on need
Volunteers are needed to assist with childcare during monthly support groups, help with outreach and tabling at community events, and provide transportation support for youth (e.g., after-school pickups). These roles are vital in helping families access services and participate in programming.
Interested in volunteering your time and skills but can only do so from time to time?
Are you an instructor, stylist, painter, photographer or have other skills that you would like to offer in helping our youth? Do you have a group of friends interested in assembling furniture or painting one of our centers?
We may have the perfect opportunity for you!