VOLUNTEERING
If you are interested in defending youth rights, expanding young people’s legal autonomy, and advocating against age discrimination in the United States, NYRA is the perfect Volunteer organization for you. We are a youth-led organization that focuses on promoting and expanding the rights of young people in schools and their communities. Our unique non-hierarchical volunteer program is designed for individuals, of any age, who want to help us fight ageism throughout the United States. Since we are an all-volunteer organization, you will get to work alongside the rest of NYRA as an equal and will have the opportunity to lead your own projects with the full support of a national organization behind you.
Keep in mind that you do not need to be part of a NYRA node in order to Volunteer. You can Volunteer with NYRA online from any location in the U.S, or even globally.
As a volunteer you will be able to use and develop your skills in a variety of areas including research, writing, promotion, and outreach. Volunteers can either work independently or as part of a team and have the opportunity to focus on issues that are important to them. Volunteers are able to work from home and set their own schedule. When you volunteer with NYRA, you join NYRA’s online community, where all of its volunteers share ideas and work on projects together. Here are several of the projects volunteers can help with:
- Writing blog articles analyzing current events and issues from a youth rights perspective
- Writing articles about personal experiences with youth rights violations
- Researching state and federal laws affecting youth rights
- Compiling studies, statistics, and reports on youth rights issues
- Writing and updating informational research pages for NYRA’s website
- Tracking pending legislation and researching court cases affecting young people
- Hosting or participating in episodes of the Youth Rights Podcast
- Interviewing politicians, activists, researchers, and other podcast guests
- Creating social media posts promoting NYRA’s articles, research, and campaigns
- Connecting with online communities, activists, and content creators relating to youth rights
- Editing YouTube videos and creating TikToks, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts for NYRA’s content
- Creating digital artwork, animations, and motion graphics for videos about youth rights
- Designing Instagram posts, infographics, and other social media graphics
- Designing leaflets, flyers, merchandise, and other promotional materials
- Reaching out to journalists and media outlets about youth rights stories
- Participating in media interviews and helping coordinate media campaigns
- Reaching out to elected officials and political candidates for interviews or policy meetings
- Researching policy proposals and helping draft youth rights legislation
- Finding and collaborating with other nonprofit and civil rights organizations
- Locating individuals who have experienced youth rights violations and documenting their stories
- Joining existing NYRA Nodes and participating in local youth rights activism
- Creating new NYRA Nodes at schools, colleges, or within local communities
- Helping NYRA Nodes organize events, recruit members, and run local advocacy campaigns
- Creating and distributing NYRA’s newsletters
- Assisting with fundraising campaigns, donor outreach, and grant research
Earn Volunteer Hours Through Youth Rights Advocacy by Volunteering with NYRA
As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, NYRA offers opportunities for volunteers to earn community service and volunteer hours through working with NYRA nodes or volunteering remotely. If you’re a high school or college student looking to complete volunteer hours, our flexible volunteer program allows you to contribute through writing, research, social media, digital advocacy, and other projects without needing to volunteer in person. The hours you spend contributing to NYRA may count toward school community service requirements, depending on your school’s policies, allowing you to gain meaningful nonprofit experience while working toward your required volunteer hours!
What Issues Do NYRA Volunteers Work With?
At NYRA, our volunteers work on a wide variety of issues involving the civil rights and freedoms of children, teenagers, and young adults. Our advocacy focuses on fighting age discrimination, challenging unreasonable age restrictions, and expanding young people’s legal rights and personal autonomy. Some of the major issues we cover include student rights, voting age, age discrimination, parental oppression and child abuse, youth digital rights, medical autonomy, youth legal rights, juvenile justice, foster care and CPS reform, and freedom of movement and curfews. However, these are far from the only issues that NYRA advocates for!
We especially appreciate volunteers who are passionate about niche, specific, or overlooked youth rights issues, and encourage our volunteers to bring forward their own ideas for articles, research projects, and advocacy campaigns. Whether there’s an issue that you’ve personally experienced, a particular law that you believe unfairly restricts young people, or a youth rights topic that you think deserves more attention, NYRA gives you opportunities to explore those interests and help expand the issues that our organization covers!
INTERNSHIPS
NYRA also operates an internship program that allows interns to select and lead key projects in any of our focus areas or design their own projects under supervision. Our interns have used our program for academic credit, volunteer service hours, or for just gaining valuable experience. Our internships are unpaid and operate throughout the year with flexible start and end dates.
If you are planning on applying for an internship instead of a volunteer position, make sure to inform us of this when filling out the volunteer form.
EXECUTIVE TEAM / BOARD OF DIRECTORS
NYRA’s Board of Directors and Executive Team are made up of our most committed volunteers.
Each Executive Team member is responsible for leading one of our Teams. This includes conducting monthly team meetings, ensuring all tasks are assigned and completed, supervising other volunteers, and submitting a monthly report to our Board of Directors. The Board of Directors provides oversight to the organization and makes decisions regarding our mission, goals and strategic planning.
Once you have been a part of our volunteer program for several months, the Board or Executive Team may contact you to schedule an interview.
Important note: Please fill out the Volunteer form completely, or else it may not be considered.
Street Address and Zip code are not required, but are very helpful if you are seeking to apply to the Action team, which involves joining and assisting NYRA nodes in person.
Volunteer for NYRA National
Important note: Before submitting the volunteer form, make sure you have filled it out completely. Incomplete volunteer forms may not be considered.
Street Address and Zip code are not required, but are very helpful if you are seeking to apply to the Action team, which involves joining and assisting NYRA nodes in person.
Frequently Asked Questions about Volunteering with NYRA
What types of Volunteer Opportunities does NYRA offer?
NYRA offers several remote and in-person volunteer opportunities including writing, research, outreach, social media content, and local advocacy.
How can I volunteer with a nonprofit organization that advocates for youth civil rights?
NYRA is the largest organization in the U.S that advocates for the civil rights and liberties of minors and young adults. Anyone can volunteer with NYRA by filling out the volunteer application.
Do I need any previous experience to become a NYRA volunteer?
You do not need any previous experience to volunteer with NYRA. NYRA’s experienced volunteers can help teach you skills related to the areas of advocacy you’re interested in volunteering in.
Can I earn community service or volunteer hours by volunteering with NYRA?
Yes, you can earn community service hours volunteering with NYRA. Since NYRA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, your time volunteering with NYRA can be used for high school and college community service hours. Be sure to check with your school about which activities qualify for volunteer hours.
How does NYRA’s volunteer application and onboarding process work?
Once you fill out the NYRA volunteer application, we will contact you via email within 48 hours to let you know if we have accepted your application to volunteer with us. We will then schedule a quick onboarding meeting via google meets to get you introduced to the organization. Most volunteer applications are accepted, and the only reasons we may not respond to you, is if you filled out the application incompletely, inconsistently, or with minimal information.
