With each new discouraging event this year has brought, it is easy to be pessimistic about the future. Luckily, even a pandemic can’t stop us from making positive changes in the world. There are many ways to volunteer from the safety of your home. 

For those interested in history, one volunteering option is becoming a Digital Volunteer for the Smithsonian, the world’s largest museum and research complex. There are numerous ways a digital volunteer can help out, including transcribing historical documents for the Transcription Center. This involves reading materials like diaries and papers written by notable Americans and typing them out. Transcribing these materials makes them more accessible to researchers and the general public. 

If you are lucky enough to be artistically inclined, painting rocks and placing them outside for people to find is a movement that has been sweeping the nation. Inspired by a Facebook group named “Port Angeles Rocks,” thousands of cities across the country have created their own groups to share the rocks they have created and found. Simply decorating a few rocks and leaving them where they can be discovered is an easy way to improve your community.

AHS’ very own Senior Men and Women have a Facebook group named “SMW Rocks” where anyone can post the rocks they’ve painted as well as the rocks they’ve found.

According to SMW member senior Warren Lin, “painting rocks was very gratifying because there is the chance that I could make someone’s day.”

Warren’s hopes have already come true for a few members of SMW Rocks; the Facebook page features numerous posts from people outside of AHS raving about how happy they were to find a beautifully decorated rock in their neighborhood. 

For the social activist, Dosomething.org has a wide range of campaigns that anyone can take part in. For example, volunteers can gather pledges to vote, learn how to take action against racial injustice, and discuss climate change with adults. Students can filter the campaigns by causes like “gender equality” and “environment” to find campaigns that fit their interests. No matter the cause, this youth-led organization has a campaign with the goal to improve the world. 

Lastly, for the scientists of the future, Zooniverse is a research platform that relies on volunteer efforts. Volunteers can assist professional researchers and contribute to real academic research with no prior expertise necessary. Many of the best discoveries from Zooniverse projects have originated from discussions between researchers and volunteers. Zooniverse projects have produced many published research papers as well as various open-source sets of analyzed data. 

There are also countless other opportunities available on the internet. Volunteering in your community is one of the best parts of being a high schooler, and there is no reason for this pandemic to hold you back. 

Graphic courtesy of BEAUMONT.ORG