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In today's rapidly-changing world, the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) cannot be overstated. As you homeschool your highschooler, you have a unique opportunity to help them explore the world of STEM and contribute to their community through community service.

Not only does community service provide your kids a chance to make a positive impact, but it also helps them develop essential skills, gain practical experience, and discover their passion for STEM fields.

Community service projects centered around STEM offer a distinctive blend of learning, creativity, and problem-solving. Whether they have a specific interest in biology, coding, robotics, or environmental conservation, there is a STEM community service opportunity that awaits!

Is your high schooler looking for community service ideas in the STEM field? If so, here are some opportunities that might be perfect for them!

So, if you've got a high school student seeking to gain some service hours, or a STEM enthusiast eager to explore the practical applications of their passion, here are 20+ STEM community service ideas that will leave a lasting impact on both your kids and your community.

The Benefits of Community Service

Before we jump into the list of STEM community service opportunities, let’s talk about why community service is even something your child should pursue.

They learn new skills

Volunteering and community service can be a great way for your child to not only practice their skills, but to learn and develop new ones.

Looks good on college applications and resumés

When applying to college or jobs, it’s always good to have items in their applications that give admissions and hiring personnel a good idea of who your child is, what they’re like, what they’re interested in, what they care about, and what they’re good at. All of this can be achieved by including information on how they chose to contribute to their community, locally and otherwise.

It can help them figure out what they enjoy doing

While community service is definitely a useful thing to include as part of college applications, another major perk is that it can give your child the opportunity to try out different things and figure out what they enjoy doing with their time. Who knows? They may discover a passion…or a career!

It can help them narrow down their major options

In addition to helping your child figure out their interests, community service can also be a fantastic way to help them narrow down the options as far as what they want to study if or when they go to college.

It can give them the opportunity to shadow professionals

Last, but not least, community service can help them get a jumpstart on not only networking with people in the field of their choice, but give them the opportunity to shadow and learn from professionals.

Now that we’ve covered the ways that community service can enrich your child’s life, let’s go over some of the STEM-related volunteer opportunities that they can pursue.

Community Services Ideas for High Schoolers Who Love STEM

Science Community Service Ideas

Volunteer at a Nature Preserve or National Park

If your child has an interest in Ecology or Environmental Science, look for opportunities for them to help out at nature preserves or state/national parks in your area. The National Park Service has opportunities all throughout the year at locations across the country. Click here to learn more about volunteering with the National Park Service.

Volunteer at an Animal Shelter

If your kids love working with and helping animals, volunteering at your local animal shelter or humane society might be a great fit. They can help walk dogs, play with cats, feed the animals, keep the facilities clean, organize adoptions, and more. This could also be a great way for kids who are interested in becoming veterinarians to see what it’s like to work closely with animals. Click here to learn about volunteer opportunities through the Animal Humane Society.

Volunteer at a Science Center

If your child loves science and is even considering a career in a scientific field, volunteering at a local science center is a great idea! You can usually check their individual websites for volunteer opportunities. Or simply make a visit and ask for information on how kids can get involved.

Volunteer at a Zoo

If your child is obsessed with animals, check with your local zoo(s) to find out if they have any volunteer opportunities. They may be able to give your kids a chance to help lead educational activities, assist with summer programs, or spread education and awareness about animals.

Volunteer at an Aquarium

If your child loves marine science, conservation, or oceanography, they may love volunteering at an aquarium. Volunteer at a Hospital or Clinic. Check with your local aquariums to find out if they have any need for enthusiastic volunteers.

Technology Community Service Ideas

Join Mozilla Connect

Mozilla, the company behind the Firefox internet browser, is a nonprofit and has several opportunities for tech lovers to contribute to their mission to make the internet a better place for everyone. On their website, students can contribute in a variety of ways, including: answering questions in the support forum, writing help articles, localizing support content, providing support on social channels, and responding to mobile store reviews. Click here for more info on volunteering with Mozilla.

Do Good with Democracy Lab

The goal of Democracy is to launch tech-for-good projects by finding skilled volunteers who can help get things off the ground. Kids can volunteer, develop new skills, and be part of the acceleration of new technology. Click here to see current volunteer opportunities.

Volunteer with TechSoup

TechSoup’s mission is to empower changemakers to do what they do by providing them with the right tech resources and skills. Volunteers can get involved by answering questions in the forums, taking part in events, or becoming a TechSoup Community Ambassador. Click here to become a TechSoup volunteer.

Start a High School Coding Club

Hack Club is an organization of over 25,000 high schoolers who love coding…and do it together. They tend to get together for an hour each week and work on coding activities together, such as building websites, apps, and open source games. They even help teens start their own coding clubs! Click here to learn more about starting a High School Hack Club.

Engineering Community Service Ideas

Help Build Houses with Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing organization with operations in communities all over America as well as about 70 other countries. They help families get affordable housing. They have Youth Volunteer Programs where kids can participate in a range of activities…including building homes. Click here to learn about the Habitat for Humanity Youth Program.

Volunteer with Girls in Engineering

If your family lives in the San Francisco Bay area and your child is a rising 10, 11th, or 12th grader, they may be a great fit to volunteer as a Counselor-in-Training for the Girls in Engineering summer camps. They get to attend the camp for FREE while supporting staff and campers. Click here to learn more about becoming a Counselor-in-Training for Girls in Engineering.

Mathematics Community Service Ideas

Offer After-School Math Tutoring

If your child has a knack or passion for math, offering their math tutoring services can be a great way to not only volunteer, but practice their teaching skills.

National Museum of Mathematics

If you happen to live in New York City, the National Museum of Mathematics has a variety of options for kids to get involved on a volunteer basis. Click here to learn more about volunteering at the National Museum of Mathematics.

Inspire a Love of Math with MathCounts

MATHCOUNTS is on a mission to help middle school students not only feel more confident in their math and problem-solving skills, but also to love math. They offer math competitions, math clubs, and math video challenges. Click here to learn more about volunteering with MATHCOUNTS

Multidiscipline Community Service Ideas

Offer Tutoring Services

Teaching is a very noble pursuit…and you don’t have to wait until you’re an adult to start. Encourage your kids to tutor other students in the STEM subjects they’re good at and enjoy. Look into local peer tutoring opportunities to get started!

Become a Smithsonian Volunteer

The famed Smithsonian Institute is always looking for volunteers (both in-person and online) to help keep their operations running smoothly. They have a ton of volunteer roles all across the country. Click here to check out Smithsonian Institute volunteer opportunities.

Help Zooniverse with Research

The Zooniverse is the world’s largest and most popular platform for people-powered research. Students can contribute to real academic research in many disciplines and topics across the sciences. They can study objects of scientific interest gathered by researchers, such as images of exoplanets and far-away galaxies, historical records and diaries, and videos of animals in their natural habitat — all from their computer at home. They can also serve as beta testers for various projects to make sure there are no bugs before launch. Click here to find out how you can get involved with Zooniverse.

Find Volunteer Opportunities with Catchafire

Students who are interested in developing professional business skills such as website development, coding, graphic design, IT, marketing, and social media can use Catchafire to find volunteer opportunities to build these skills…and offer them to communities all over the globe. Click here to learn about current volunteer opportunities with Catchafire.

Be an Assistant in an Extracurricular Enrichment Program

Are there after-school or summer enrichment programs/clubs in your area? They may be a great option for your kids to find a position volunteering as a teaching assistant!

Start a STEM Club

Who says you have to wait for opportunities to open up? Create them! Help your child start a STEM Club of their own in your community. It can be something as simple as kids getting together to explore and discuss a topic or participate in fun activities together. Check out this article on how to start a STEM Club for ideas. It’s geared toward teachers, but the advice is still good.

Be a Summer Assistant/Counselor

Is there a non-profit STEM camp nearby? It could be a great opportunity for your child to become an assistant or even a camp counselor.

Search the Points of Light Engage Volunteer Database

Points of Light Engage curates volunteer opportunities from sites all over the internet into one database that you can search through. You can even filter results by issue area (STEM, Technology, Animals, etc), skills/interests, and features (like age range, family-friendly, etc). Click here to search through the Points of Light Engage database of thousands of volunteer opportunities.

Volunteer with AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps is committed to making volunteering and giving back to the community a normal part of the American experience. With a focus on six different areas (such as Disaster Services and Environmental Stewardship), there are sure to be opportunities for your kids to find STEM opportunities. Click here to learn more about getting involved with AmeriCorps.

Help Bring STEM to underprivileged students

Genxl is a 501c(3) certified nonprofit organization started by 3 high schoolers who wanted to help bridge the gap that exists between STEM courses and young kids — especially underprivileged kids. Their mission is to provide free, immersive online STEM courses to young, underprivileged kids so they have the opportunity to discover and explore their passions at a young age. They have volunteer opportunities for high school students who are interested in either teaching STEM classes or starting their own Genxl chapter. Click here to learn more about bringing STEM to young underprivileged kids through Genxl.

Take Action: Choose Your STEM Community Service Adventure!

I hope that this list will inspire your kids to embark on a rewarding journey of giving back to their community through STEM. By participating in STEM-focused service activities, they'll deepen their understanding of the practical applications of science, technology, engineering, and math, and develop essential skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork, which are highly valued in both academic and professional settings.

Remember to encourage them to document their experiences, accomplishments, and lessons learned. These reflections will not only serve as a reminder of their impact, but also provide valuable material for college applications, scholarship opportunities, and future endeavors in the STEM field.

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Do you have any other ideas for great STEM community service opportunities? Drop a comment below to share!

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