A group of young students all standing and looking at the same thing and pointing
New York Get Involved

Volunteer with the NYC Youth Education Program

Help support our programs for students in elementary, middle, and high school.
NYC Youth Education Home Sign Up to Volunteer
Audubon New York leads a For the Birds! educational field trip with the Chinese American Planning Council at Weeping Beech Park, Flushing, New York. Photo: Sydney Walsh/Audubon

Volunteer with our NYC Youth Education Program, help to connect youth throughout the city to our urban environment, local species, and responsible actions to protect the habitats birds and people need to thrive.

What is the role of volunteers?

Volunteers visit local schools and parks across NYC with us to help administer our For the Birds! and LARK programs for elementary, middle and high school students. Most of these opportunities take place during the school day.

In a classroom, you'll be assisting Audubon educators as they lead lessons, including:

  • Passing out papers, supplies, activity materials
  • Writing down key vocabulary
  • Helping students stay engaged and on task during presentations, activities and journaling time
  • Working with small groups during activities

During a field trip, you'll be assisting Audubon educators as they lead bird walks and habitat actions, including:

  • Passing out and collecting field trip supplies (checklists, pencils, binoculars, etc.)
  • Pointing out birds and bird calls to students
  • Leading trail games while on the walk
  • Helping students stay engaged and on task during our field trip

Where will you volunteer?

We work with school partners throughout the five boroughs! This map represents the neighborhoods where we have worked in recent years.

When you become a volunteer, we will share upcoming volunteer opportunities for you to select the dates and locations that work best for you.

What are the requirements to become a volunteer?

  • You don’t need to be an expert birder or have formal education skills to volunteer, all you need it to:
  • Be excited about local NYC habitats and bird species!
  • Be open to working with students of all ages in NYC
  • Be flexible as schedules and activities can change depending on school needs
  • Pass the DOE mandated background and fingerprinting. This is an important step to ensure all our education staff and volunteers meet safety protocols for working with students. Our team will walk you through the system and pay the costs of all background checks.

How do I join?

Fill out our volunteer form!