Volunteer With Us!
Our volunteers are a vital component of our programming!
Our volunteers wear many hats: they serve as trusted adult mentors to youth participants, help YLI staff with executing program logistics, and provide additional perspectives that enrich our group discussions about leadership, culture, and politics.
We rely on volunteers to help with the following program components:
Volunteer Drivers
We try to make our programming as accessible as possible to all high school youth in the Twin Cities.
Your role as a volunteer driver is to provide transportation to youth to and from programming, including Action Teams, Cultural Sessions, and Quarterly Retreats.
This role can be a one-time or ongoing commitment, depending on your availability.
Action Teams
Weekly Action Team sessions takes place at Frogtown Community Center in Saint Paul on Thursdays from 4:30 to 6:30 PM.
Youth explore different community issues important to them and how these issues impact their intersecting identities.
Your role as a volunteer during these sessions are to support the youth participants in researching, designing, and implementing their community action projects.
This role is a seven months commitment beginning in November until May.
Quarterly Retreats
During the 2025-26 Program Year, we have three retreats: October 16-18, 2025; March 7-8, 2026; and May 15-17, 2026.
Our youth leaders design retreat activities around themes of leadership and identity exploration. They lead the rest of the youth participants in doing, learning, and reflecting about these themes.
Your role as a volunteer is to support the youth mentors in leading debrief reflections at the end of the day, encouraging youth participants to engage in the activities, and getting to know everyone at the retreat.
This role is a one-time commitment.
Cultural Sessions
Cultural Sessions take place once a month, on Saturdays, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The location of Cultural Sessions often changes from month to month.
Youth learn about the connection between culture and leadership and explore their own chosen identity in an affinity group.
Your role as a volunteer during these sessions are to support youth participants in researching and critically reflecting on their chosen identities and preparing for an end-of-year presentation.
This role is a seven-month commitment beginning in November until May.