Community Impact offers a variety of youth programs, including mentoring, tutoring, and recreational programs. Most programs are based in local public schools and operate during the school year; however, some are open to the wider community as well. Please note that only Columbia University students may volunteer with the youth programs
After-hours Tutoring volunteers engage elementary school children from the Volunteers of America Family Residence at 104th and Broadway in a range of disciplines, including reading, math, and test preparation. Volunteer commitment of 2 hours/week. M-W afternoons, off-campus.
America Reads is a literacy program for elementary students with 4 different sites throughout Harlem. We are a part of a national campaign calling on all Americans to help every child read at grade level. We not only tutor individual students one-on-one, but also teach small after school classes. In addition, America Reads now has Friday field trips where students visit unique cultural centers throughout New York City such as the Bronx Museum of the Arts, MoMA, and even the Wollman Rinks. Volunteer commitment of 4-10 hours/week. M-F afternoons at after-school sites & mornings as teacher's aides. If you would like to make a difference in the Harlem community, send us a message at the link below!
Artists Reaching Out (ARO) brings arts education to 3rd-5th grade students at nearby schools, who presently have limited opportunities for enrichment in the arts. Volunteers foster positive mentoring relationships and cultivate young talent in the areas of drama, music and fine art, creative writing, and dance. Volunteer commitment of 4 hours/week, Friday afternoons, off-campus.
Asian Youth Program (AYP) , in collaboration with a shelter for women and children displaced by domestic violence, brings student mentors together with a group of affected Asian youth. Volunteers meet with their mentees weekly, developing one-to-one relationships as they participate in engaging projects on campus and throughout NYC. All activities are designed to build self-confidence, foster a sense of family and community, and inspire a commitment to service among the children served in a fun and nurturing environment. Volunteer commitment of 4 hours/week.
Big SIBS one of CI's oldest programs, focuses on developing regular and positive interaction between a child and a caring, stable, friend and mentor. Volunteers undergo a screening process and must make a minimum 2-year commitment to spend 3-4 hours a week with their little brother/sister and attend monthly workshops. Various days, daytime, off-campus.
Download an Application here!
Download a Description here!
Columbia KIDS provides field trips for children ages 5-12 from Morningside Heights and Harlem to cultural and recreational sites around the city. The volunteer commitment is 5 hours a week, on Saturdays from around 10:30 am until 3:30 pm.
Harlem Restoration Project (HRP) provides weekend field trips for Harlem children aged 5-12. The trips throughout NYC encourage learning, athletics, and creativity. Volunteer commitment of 5 hours/week. Saturday, daytime, various locations.
Heights to Heights Mentoring matches bilingual middle-school students with individual mentors who incorporate tutoring and creative activities to engage the students in education and cultural enrichment. Volunteer commitment of 3-5 hours on campus.
Let's Get Ready! promotes equal access to higher education for all students regardless of ability to pay. The program offers free SAT preparation courses and college and financial aid advising to underserved high school students and their families. Volunteers work with students of Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem to raise SAT scores, complete college applications, and accustom the students to the idea of life at college. Volunteer commitment of 3 hours/week, either Mon or Thurs, school located at 149th and Adam Clayton Powell.
Mentoring Youth in New York City (My NYC) volunteers develop individual mentoring relationships with high school students from the Manhattan Center for Science and Math. Program sessions include cultural enrichment activities, college and career preparation, and independent mentor-mentee outings. Volunteer commitment of 2 hours/week for a minimum of 1 year. Meetings on Friday afternoons in Earl Hall.
One-to-One Tutoring provides individual tutoring to neighborhood elementary children for two hours on Saturdays in Lerner Hall. Tutoring is open to any elementary students, enrollment is not school-specific
Peace by PEACE teaches methods of conflict resolution in elementary schools. Volunteers teach a session or year-long curriculum that fosters ways of resolving differences by communicating, understanding points of view, and learning together. Various schools, 2-4hours, daytime.
Project Tutors provides tutors at nearby P.S. 165 and P.S. 145. Tutors spend at least one hour at an elementary school (K-5) each week throughout the entire semester. The roles of tutors vary from one-to-one tutoring to small-group tutoring to assistant teaching. Tutors volunteer during the school day between 8:30 am and 3:00 p.m. (Mondays through Fridays, 1 hour during the day or afternoon at an off-campus location)
Toddler Learning Center (TLC) brings together student volunteers with a group of neighborhood preschoolers on Saturday mornings on campus. Their mission is to foster curiosity through creative expression. Activities include science experiments, arts and crafts, and field trips. Volunteer commitment of 4 hours/week.
After-hours Tutoring volunteers engage elementary school children from the Volunteers of America Family Residence at 104th and Broadway in a range of disciplines, including reading, math, and test preparation. Volunteer commitment of 2 hours/week. M-W afternoons, off-campus.
America Reads is a literacy program for elementary students with 4 different sites throughout Harlem. We are a part of a national campaign calling on all Americans to help every child read at grade level. We not only tutor individual students one-on-one, but also teach small after school classes. In addition, America Reads now has Friday field trips where students visit unique cultural centers throughout New York City such as the Bronx Museum of the Arts, MoMA, and even the Wollman Rinks. Volunteer commitment of 4-10 hours/week. M-F afternoons at after-school sites & mornings as teacher's aides. If you would like to make a difference in the Harlem community, send us a message at the link below!
Artists Reaching Out (ARO) brings arts education to 3rd-5th grade students at nearby schools, who presently have limited opportunities for enrichment in the arts. Volunteers foster positive mentoring relationships and cultivate young talent in the areas of drama, music and fine art, creative writing, and dance. Volunteer commitment of 4 hours/week, Friday afternoons, off-campus.
Asian Youth Program (AYP) , in collaboration with a shelter for women and children displaced by domestic violence, brings student mentors together with a group of affected Asian youth. Volunteers meet with their mentees weekly, developing one-to-one relationships as they participate in engaging projects on campus and throughout NYC. All activities are designed to build self-confidence, foster a sense of family and community, and inspire a commitment to service among the children served in a fun and nurturing environment. Volunteer commitment of 4 hours/week.
Big SIBS one of CI's oldest programs, focuses on developing regular and positive interaction between a child and a caring, stable, friend and mentor. Volunteers undergo a screening process and must make a minimum 2-year commitment to spend 3-4 hours a week with their little brother/sister and attend monthly workshops. Various days, daytime, off-campus.
Download an Application here!
Download a Description here!
Columbia KIDS provides field trips for children ages 5-12 from Morningside Heights and Harlem to cultural and recreational sites around the city. The volunteer commitment is 5 hours a week, on Saturdays from around 10:30 am until 3:30 pm.
Harlem Restoration Project (HRP) provides weekend field trips for Harlem children aged 5-12. The trips throughout NYC encourage learning, athletics, and creativity. Volunteer commitment of 5 hours/week. Saturday, daytime, various locations.
Heights to Heights Mentoring matches bilingual middle-school students with individual mentors who incorporate tutoring and creative activities to engage the students in education and cultural enrichment. Volunteer commitment of 3-5 hours on campus.
Let's Get Ready! promotes equal access to higher education for all students regardless of ability to pay. The program offers free SAT preparation courses and college and financial aid advising to underserved high school students and their families. Volunteers work with students of Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem to raise SAT scores, complete college applications, and accustom the students to the idea of life at college. Volunteer commitment of 3 hours/week, either Mon or Thurs, school located at 149th and Adam Clayton Powell.
Mentoring Youth in New York City (My NYC) volunteers develop individual mentoring relationships with high school students from the Manhattan Center for Science and Math. Program sessions include cultural enrichment activities, college and career preparation, and independent mentor-mentee outings. Volunteer commitment of 2 hours/week for a minimum of 1 year. Meetings on Friday afternoons in Earl Hall.
One-to-One Tutoring provides individual tutoring to neighborhood elementary children for two hours on Saturdays in Lerner Hall. Tutoring is open to any elementary students, enrollment is not school-specific
Peace by PEACE teaches methods of conflict resolution in elementary schools. Volunteers teach a session or year-long curriculum that fosters ways of resolving differences by communicating, understanding points of view, and learning together. Various schools, 2-4hours, daytime.
Project Tutors provides tutors at nearby P.S. 165 and P.S. 145. Tutors spend at least one hour at an elementary school (K-5) each week throughout the entire semester. The roles of tutors vary from one-to-one tutoring to small-group tutoring to assistant teaching. Tutors volunteer during the school day between 8:30 am and 3:00 p.m. (Mondays through Fridays, 1 hour during the day or afternoon at an off-campus location)
Toddler Learning Center (TLC) brings together student volunteers with a group of neighborhood preschoolers on Saturday mornings on campus. Their mission is to foster curiosity through creative expression. Activities include science experiments, arts and crafts, and field trips. Volunteer commitment of 4 hours/week.