Involving Youth in the Community

By Maya Smith, VIP Leader at Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley, partner site of the Volunteer Center of the East Bay

The Volunteer Center of the East Bay has been helping non-profits in the East Bay fulfill their volunteer needs since 1955. Its core purpose is to encourage and support local volunteerism to benefit volunteers, nonprofit and public organizations, and society as a whole. In addition to hosting the AmeriCorps VIP program, they also coordinate the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). RSVP connects caring seniors age 55 and older with non-profit agencies that recognize senior volunteers provide invaluable service by sharing their lifetime of skills, talents and knowledge.

VIP Fellows volunteering during Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

While the Volunteer Center of the East Bay focuses on connecting seniors, VIP Fellow Maya Smith is looking to better incorporate youth with Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley. Although Habitat is a highly recognizable name, most people don’t know that they do a lot more than build houses. Habitat for Humanity’s vision is that “every person should have a decent, safe and affordable place to live.” They have realized that building new homes in a blighted neighborhood is a good start but in order for families to truly feel secure, changes need to be made on a macro level. Three years ago, Habitat launched their Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative, a program designed to transform neighborhoods using a holistic approach. 

 Local youth joined Habitat on a Saturday to survey the 

neighborhood and help assess community needs.

Habitat coordinates with community residents, non-profits, faith communities, businesses and local governments to create and implement a shared vision of revitalization. Using this model, Habitat has been able to serve significantly more families and work with more volunteers. Neighborhood revitalization has proven to be a great way to involve youth volunteers. Because most of Habitat’s work takes place on a construction site, volunteer opportunities for youth under 16 are limited. Neighborhood revitalization events such as these have provided great opportunities for younger volunteers. Maya hopes to coordinate current Habitat clubs with these neighborhood revitalization events and connect youth from different communities across the territory that Habitat serves.

Habitat led elementary students to build an outdoor reading area next to their school library.

Among their revitalization projects, Habitat has partnered with an elementary school to create an outdoor reading area, cleaned neighborhood roadways as part of the Caltrans adopt-a-road program, and removed over 550 gallons of waste out of a local creek. Together, Habitat East Bay/Silicon Valley, neighborhood residents and local partners are changing the face of neighborhoods and enhancing the quality of life for all the families who live there.