Resources: Education
Note: the below are not necessarily eligible for off-campus Federal Work Study. Please find FWS eligible opportunities here.
Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO)
The Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) supports immigrants, refugees and mainstream community members to become self-sufficient. They strive in their programming, outreach and education to foster understanding, compassion and communication between Oregon's established communities and newest arrivals. Oregon has one of the fastest growing refugee and immigrant populations in the country. Forced to leave their home countries for fear of persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group, refugees and immigrants come to Portland to begin new lives. IRCO focuses on removing barriers to self-sufficiency and helping individuals and families thrive, by providing more than 150 culturally and linguistically specific social services, from employment, vocational training and English language learning, to community development, early childhood and parenting education, youth academic support and gang prevention. Check out IRCO's volunteer needs here.
Address: 10301 NE Glisan St. Portland, OR 97220
Phone: 503-234-1541
Know Your City (KYC)
Know Your City engages the public in art and social justice through creative placemaking projects. Their programs and publications aim to educate people to better know their communities, and to empower them to take action. Sign up here to volunteer!
Address: 800 NW 6th Ave #331
Phone: 503-592-0337
Morrison Child and Family Services
Morrison Child and Family Services partners with families and communities to provide effective and responsive services for children and youth coping with adversity and trauma. Morrison delivers specialized services to children, from birth through age 21, and families coping with abuse, neglect, domestic violence, drug and alcohol addiction, mental health difficulties, criminality, and other harmful stress factors. Their award-winning programs recognize and respect cultural differences and support the growth of children to enhance their safety, development, education, and future success. See volunteer opportunities here.
Address: Multiple locations
Phone: 503-258-4200
Mt. Scott Learning Center
Mt. Scott Learning Center exists to provide an educational setting tailored to the special needs of students who struggle to fulfill their potential in the traditional school environment. Through a nurturing and engaging educational community, students will gain knowledge, apply skills and become positive, knowledgeable and productive members of their local and global communities.
Address: 6148 SE Holgate Blvd., Portland, Oregon 97206
Phone: 503-771-8880
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) is a scientific, educational, and cultural resource center dedicated to improving the public's understanding of science and technology. OMSI puts the "wow" in science for the kid in each of us! Please check out their website for a list of current openings for volunteers.
Address: 1945 SE Water Ave., Portland, OR 97214
Phone: 503-239-7814
Open School
Open School is a rigorous college-prep program for amazing kids who need something different than traditional school. They know which kids are most likely to drop out. They find them and surround them with what they need to graduate and get ahead: academics, equity and advocacy. Find opportunities to volunteer here.
Portland Youth Builders (PYB)
Portland Youth Builders' mission is to support young people who are committed to changing their lives to become self-sufficient, contributing members of the workforce and their community. Find their volunteer opportunities here.
Address: 4816 SE 92nd Ave., Portland, OR 97266
Phone: 503-286-9350
Saturday Academy
Founded in 1983, Saturday Academy strives to engage all motivated young people (grades 2-12), including those from under-represented communities, in hands-on, in-depth learning by connecting them to community experts as educators and mentors. Our vision is that all interested, pre-college students in our region will have the opportunity to interact with community experts and experience professional environments in ways that assist them in developing intellectually and preparing for rewarding careers. We value all learning, and offer experiences in many disciplines. We emphasize science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), because these fields are critical for children's careers and their fast pace of change is difficult to address in traditional school settings. Saturday Academy has provided instruction to more than 170,000 students throughout Oregon and SW Washington. Visit the volunteer page to learn more and apply.
Address: 5000 N Willamette Blvd., Portland, OR 97203
Phone: 503-200-5858
SMART: Start Making a Reader Today
SMART’s vision is an Oregon in which every child can read and is empowered to succeed. We strive to inspire a love of reading in Oregon’s children so that they will go on to become lifelong readers and lifelong learners. To transform this vision into reality, SMART engages community volunteers to read one-on-one with PreK through third-grade children for one hour per week throughout the school year. SMART provides literacy support to students in more than 250 schools statewide (over 90 schools in the Portland Metro area). SMART is fun and further encourages children to read outside the classroom by giving students new books each month to take home and keep. Further information and application available on the SMART website. This program qualifies for Off-Campus Federal Work Study.