Teen Service Opportunities

Whether you’re looking for service hours, building your resume, or would simply like to volunteer with friends, the Art Center’s Teen Volunteer Program has a variety of volunteer opportunities for you!

Current Opportunities Include

• Administrative projects
• Children's Fine Art classroom assistants 
• Behind-the-scenes art prep
• Summer camp Counselors-in-Training
• Art Center Teen Leadership

Art Center Teen Leadership 

Looking for an art-focused leadership opportunity next school year? We are looking for high-school aged teens to join our group of youth, Art Center Teen (ACT) Leadership. ACT Leadership assists in producing programming that connects teenagers to art and artists. Help us plan our next teen only event or virtual program, make and exhibit art, learn about art careers, gain leadership skills, make friends from different schools, and earn service hours along the way. ACT Leadership is a year-long commitment. Meetings take place twice a month, typically on a weekday at 4:30 p.m. and one weekend day. Meetings and workshops will be both virtual and in-person.  Links to the 2022-23 school year applications are below. Staff will review all applications and accept 20 teens into the program. Applications are due by August 5. Acceptances will be sent out in August.    

Art Center Teen Leadership 2022-23 – New Member Application 

Art Center Teen Leadership 2022-23 – Returning Member Application

Please contact Grace Pegan Abusharkh, Director of Volunteer Engagement, at grace.abusharkh@cityofpaloalto.org with questions. 

Teen Counselor-in-Training Program

Summer Camp Counselors in Training (CITs) are volunteers (12-18 years old) who assist professional art instructors in the day-to-day running of the Children’s Fine Art summer camps. CITs offer support through classroom management, encouraging campers, prepping art supplies and more. This is a great way to earn service hours, develop and strengthen leadership skills, and have fun in a creative environment. CITs volunteer for two full weeks of camp, choosing a morning or afternoon session. Lead CITs (LCITs) are experienced CITs who rotate throughout the camps to assist teachers, students, and CITs. LCITs also volunteer for two full weeks of camp, choosing a morning or afternoon session. 

Applications and Information

The summer 2022 CIT and LCIT programs are now full. Interested applicants can currently join the waitlist for both programs. The documents linked below include the full camp schedules, shift times, and position details. Please email grace.abusharkh@cityofpaloalto.org with any questions.

• Civic Rec CIT Application 
• Civic Rec LCIT Application 
• 2022-Summer-Camp-CIT-Information.pdf(PDF, 332KB)
• 2022-Summer-Camp-LCIT-Information.pdf(PDF, 351KB)

Learn more about our Counselor-in-Training Program

Special Projects Welcome

We are pleased to support teens working on special service projects, such as Girl Scout Gold Awards, Eagle Scout Awards, and other extensive service projects.