Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer Opportunities at the Staten Island LGBT Center

Desk reception: Receive Center patrons mornings, evenings and weekends; collect data from Center patrons for mailing list; open / close the site; collect requests for information/assistance for follow-up by LGBT I & R staff.

Library: Assist in acquiring, documenting and cataloguing books, videos, magazines, periodicals, DVDs, CDs for LGBT library; and keep track of donations; Update and maintain collection; Help organize space; Track borrowing/return system.

Pride Parade & Festival: Assist with contacting, engaging and recruiting participants (clubs, organizations, groups, service providers, businesses, food & merchandise vendors etc.) for the Staten Island Pride event; Make calls, send emails and faxes, write letters, fill out registration forms as needed to confirm participation; Conduct follow-up with participants as needed to assist with directions, transportation and other logistics of the event.

Social Events: Assist the Social Events Committee with coordination, planning and reservations for large-scale (e.g. dinner-dances) social events (collect payments, keep records, make follow-up calls/emails, arrange groupings/tables etc.)

The David Bohnett Cyber Center: http://www.bohnettfoundation.org/ Help monitor space and register and schedule patrons for use; Assist patrons with equipment use and problem solving; Provide basic information and assistance to patrons needing help in accessing the internet, surfing the web, sending / receiving email, and /or utilizing computer programs such as Word and Excel.

LGBT History Project: Help plan, organize and execute an oral, written, photographic and / or video record of past and present LGBT life on Staten Island. Assist with research, data collection, scheduling and conducting interviews, transcribing, photographing, filming, and documenting information obtained.

YOUTH Life Skills Development: Help LGBT youth with training in a variety of areas essential to independent living, including:

Financial Literacy - opening and maintaining a bank account, developing and living within a budget, prioritizing needs and expenses, generating reserves, building wealth, avoiding the pitfalls of easy credit.
Setting up and maintaining a household – housekeeping, cooking, shopping for household supplies, laundry, etc.
Practicing good personal and oral hygiene, getting sufficient sleep, marinating good nutrition and exercise.
Dressing for success – job and school interviews, internships, employment
Making and keeping appointments – i.e. professional, business, school, medical, employment.

YOUTH Trade /Technical Skills Development: Help LGBT youth with acquiring and building marketable skills (particularly in areas that are traditionally LGBT-friendly / accepting) that will allow them to access gainful employment and become productive members of the community. Help them build self-confidence and esteem, enhance natural abilities, tap into innate talents, and maximize overall potential in areas such as: hairdressing, cosmetology, fashion design, interior decorating, floral design, bartending, food service and general office skills.

Volunteer Coordinator: Help arrange volunteers’ schedules, conduct outreach to promote the LGBT Center’s service needs and recruit new volunteers, organize and conduct volunteer meetings.

Group Facilitation: Help coordinate and lead various topic discussion groups (e.g. Bisexuality, Thirty-Something and Gay on Staten Island, Aspiring LGBT Parents, Men’s Rap, Women’s Rap); Moderate discussions, maintain member contact lists and sign-in sheets and submit to CHASI.

Staten Island LGBT Directory of Services: Work with the LGBT Information and Referral Manager to develop a set of questions designed to gauge the LGBT awareness /sensitivity /friendliness of local businesses, services providers, merchants, groups, clubs and organizations, for the purpose of including them in a directory of LGBT services. Assist in conduct outreach among local businesses, services providers, merchants, groups, clubs and organizations, in order to have them complete the questionnaire and conduct follow-up as necessary.

For more information, Contact us at (718) 808-1360 or e-mail us at barbara.sullivan@chasiny.org