Volunteers Needed!

We want you to volunteer with our New York City street libraries!

Street Libraries engage children and parents around books, computers, and art in neglected, under-resourced communities. The format is simple: colorful blankets on the ground, a communal time of reading and stories, followed by an activity promoting discovery, highlighting skills, and encouraging creative expression.

It is a small act, but it can make a real difference in people's lives, and we can't do it without your help. We're looking for a few volunteers to assist at our New York City Street Libraries on the streets in Ocean Hill Brooklyn and at a family residence in Jamaica Queens. As a volunteer, you would be helping to make all this possible.

The street library in Brooklyn is on Saturday from 1 to 5 pm. In Queens, it is on Wednesday from 4 to 6 pm.

We're looking for people who love working with children and/or families and who have the energy and patience to make each Street Library a memorable experience.

ATD Fourth World is an international anti-poverty nonprofit with a grassroots presence in over 30 countries and observer status at the UN. We run street libraries on every continent except Antarctica, and have been working alongside communities in poverty in New York for over 50 years.

How to Apply:

Send an e-mail to our New York team at nycteam[at]4thworldmovement.org with your full name, availability, and a bit more about your experience with children and/or why you'd be excited to be involved. Must be 18 years of age or older.

For the safety of the children in the project, we run background checks on all new volunteers.