™Teen Volunteer Program
The Teen Program will begin on October 11th for the 2023-2024 school year!
The ECHO teen program typically runs from September to May. Please select no more than three (3) sessions for the 2023-2024 school year with the below Sign Up Genius link.
ECHO Teen Program Sign Up Here
Overview
ECHO’s Teen Volunteer Program allows teens who are between the ages of 13 and 18 to volunteer on scheduled Wednesday evenings during the regular school year, from 7:00 until 8:30pm. (No ECHO clients are in the building during this time.)
The program is limited to eight teens per week. Two Adult Program Supervisors will support the teens, assist them with their assignments, and sign verifications for teens who are collecting service hours. Electronic verification requests should be sent to ECHOTeenVolunteers@gmail.com
A teen may sign up for 3 sessions for the 2023-2024 school year. Schedules are released on a monthly basis, per the Sign Up Genius form so please check back regularly for additional dates. See below for additional details.
There are a few other short-term opportunities for teen volunteering at ECHO, such as helping sort food after the Postal Carriers or the Boy Scout food drives, or helping stuff backpacks for the school supplies program during the summer. Watch the ECHO homepage for information about these drives and contact admin@echo-inc.org to see if teen volunteers are needed when you see them announced.
ECHO is unable to accommodate teens who need court-ordered service hours.
Kinds of Tasks
Teen tasks usually involve sorting and labeling donations of clothing or shoes, assisting in the Food Room, and preparing small packs of toys for children.
How to Sign Up
Sign up for up to three (3) sessions for the 2023-2024 school year:
ECHO Teen Program Sign Up Here
Schedule
Teens must arrive promptly at 7:00 pm and, if they do not have their own transportation, they must be picked up promptly at 8:30 pm. They should enter and leave by the Volunteer Entrance (Door # 6) on the west side of the building.
Because locked gates secure the parking lot, they should not arrive more than 5 minutes early to allow the evening Lead Volunteer to open the gates and the building. No teen should be left at the building unless adult volunteers are present.
The Teen Program is only held on Wednesday evenings. It will not be held on any Wednesday that falls during a Fairfax County Public School weather-related closure or holiday period such as spring break.
Should there be cause for a last-minute cancellation of the shift due to changing weather conditions or a power outage, the Teen Supervisors will attempt to reach all the teens using the telephone numbers they provided.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should the teen volunteer dress?
Casual clothes that are appropriate for light cleaning tasks.
What types of jobs will teens do?
Teens typically work with clothing and shoe donations. For example, they may be asked to repackage large bundles of new socks or disposable diapers into smaller packages, to sort shoes by size or kind, to tape coat hangers to facilitate labeling, to do light cleaning tasks, to separate coats and jackets by size, etc. They may also be asked to assist in the Food Room with canned or boxed foods, to prepare packs of small toys for children, or to help receive donations at the Donation Door.
Will teens work directly with people who come to ECHO for assistance?
No. The teen program takes place only on an evening when clients are not served. There will be other adult volunteers in the building to accept donations, sort donated items, update computer files, or do other tasks not related to direct client service.
Will the teens always be indoors?
Yes, teen tasks are inside tasks.
How are the hours verified?
Both paper verification and electronic verification are available. Ask the Teen Supervisor on the evening of your shift. Electronic verification requests should be sent to ECHOTeenVolunteers@gmail.com
Who should I contact if I have to cancel at the last minute?
There is no designated person to receive phone calls. If you cannot come at the last minute, no substitutes will be called. Email ECHOTeenVolunteers@gmail.com as soon as you are able to let them know why you could not come in.
Can parents stay with their teen?
No. Parents are welcome to wait in their cars in the parking lot. Parents interested in volunteering on a regular, long term basis should contact volunteercoordinator@echo-inc.org.
How far in advance can I sign up?
We accept sign-ups for the Wednesdays of a given month, beginning in the first week of the month prior to that, so you cannot sign up farther ahead than about 8 weeks. For instance, if you want to schedule a shift in November, you can sign up for it in October.
Can I sign up for more than one shift at a time?
To accommodate more teen volunteers, a teen may sign up for 3 shifts during the year.
What are the hours the teen will work?
All teens need to arrive as close to 7:00 pm as possible. The gates and doors are open only a few minutes prior, so do not arrive early. The Supervisors cannot stay later for teens who arrive late and miss their service hours. Teens should be picked up promptly at 8:30 pm.
I have graduated, but I am still 18, can I volunteer with the Teen Program?
Non-students who are 18 or older can volunteer at ECHO as an adult. To find out more about adult volunteering, see “Volunteer Opportunities” on our website.
Why do you need the telephone number of a parent or guardian if the teen is signing up for himself or herself?
We need contact information in case of an emergency.
If the weather is expected to be unsafe for travel, such as when Fairfax County Public Schools cancels after school activities, or if there is a power outage, the program will not run. A Teen Supervisor will try to contact teens signed up for the evening using the phone numbers supplied at sign-up.
Are there any opportunities for teens to volunteer in addition to this program?
Teens may volunteer during the summer to help stuff backpacks for the School Supplies program. Watch ECHO’s website under the tab “Volunteer” in June to find out how to sign up for slots in July or August. However, weekly Wednesday evening volunteer hours are only available during the school year (August – June).
In October, the Boy Scout Food Drive date is announced, which typically occurs in November. In April, the Postal Carriers Food Drive date is announced, which typically occurs in May. During the month prior to the event, contact admin@echo-inc.org to see if teen volunteers are needed to help sort and shelve food donations on the day of, or days after, the drives.
Teens may undertake independent special projects on behalf of ECHO by conducting their own drives for food, hygiene products, or household items that are needed by ECHO clients.
See “ECHO Donation Drive Guidelines” under the Donate tab on our website.
