“As a teacher, it is a joy to work with Streetside Stories.”

— Kelly Taggart Scavullo, Teacher, Francisco Middle School

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT VOLUNTEERING

What is Streetside Stories?
Streetside Stories is a San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit that teaches storytelling through writing, the arts, and technology. Our programs encourage young people to draw on their own experiences for inspiration. As they share their true stories, they begin to see new possibilities for their lives in and out of school. Over our twenty-two-year history, we have worked with thousands of young people, creating a respectful learning environment that promotes academic results and personal growth. Streetside Stories programs are made possible through grants, individual contributions, and the enthusiastic participation of volunteers.

How do Streetside volunteers get involved?
There are various ways to help as a volunteer at Streetside! In all programs, volunteers work one-on-one with students to help them write their true life stories. Volunteers also facilitate sharing stories in small groups and peer-editing groups. Teachers Edge, Tech Tales, and afterschool tech program volunteers also help students create short movies from their written stories by helping with storyboarding, scanning images, recording voiceovers, typing scripts, and editing in iMovie.

Streetside Community Programs volunteers also help students prepare to present their stories for a "Sharing Day" which takes place at the end of each session.

Streetside also has in-office volunteers that help with tasks such as the Typist Corps (typing student stories for our anthology), Mailing Parties, Folder Prep Parties, and working special events.

Where and when would I be volunteering?
Our in-school programs operate in public schools throughout the Bay Area and are always adding new schools to our programs! We begin our in-school programs in mid-September and finish in early May. Workshop lengths vary from one to two hours and take place throughout the school day (8 am-3:30 pm). Start times vary by school.

Our Community Programs operate at several schools and community centers throughout San Francisco and Oakland. These programs begin in mid-October and finish in late May. Workshops are between 1.5 and 2 hours long, and occur in the afterschool hours (3-6pm).

Office and design volunteers work in our main office, which is in San Francisco's Mission District.

What is the time commitment?
We ask that you come in for a minimum of one class a week during the semester.  Volunteers who can commit more hours to programs per week will get preference in placement. You must sign up for a specific day each week (i.e. every Tuesday).

If you're not able to commit for an extended amount of time, we have one-time volunteer opportunities available. Contact us by emailing outreach[at]streetside.org to learn more.

I really want to help in programs but I am only available during weeknights and on the weekends. Do you have any programs during this time?
Unfortunately at this time, we do not have programs that take place after 6pm on weeknights or on the weekends. However, you can still help by checking out the opportunities on our Get Involvedpage. Many of these ways to help can be completed on your own time and from your own home!

How do I sign up?

• Step 1: Fill out our volunteer application.
• Step 2: Attend Tell It Like It Is!, Streetside's monthly open house
  
• Step 3: Attend a volunteer orientation.

After this, our Outreach Coordinator will try to place you in a program that fits with your availability and interest. Before working with youth in the classroom, all volunteers must complete the following:

• a TB test
• livescan fingerprinting
• a background check

More information on meeting these requirements is provided at the volunteer orientation.

Why do I need to get fingerprinted?
Our volunteers work directly with students at school and community sites, not in the Streetside office. It is San Francisco & Oakland Unified School District's policy that all adults working directly with students on site must undergo a background check (livescan fingerprinting) and TB test, for the protection of students. All volunteers must complete the necessary paperwork before they enter the classroom.

I've already been fingerprinted for another job. Can I transfer my results to you?
Unfortunately, the Department of Justice does not have an option for transferring fingerprinting results between organizations. For more info about livescan fingerprinting and a list of sites that provide this service, click here.

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