Braid Volunteer Resources
College Resources
Ashly Chavez, a recent college graduate and first-generation college student, worked with Braid during the summer of 2022 to identify resources to help our volunteers be informed and supportive as they help our youth think about college. Below are resources from her workshop, including videos from her presentation.
- Presentation Videos (password: guidance)
- Presentation Slides
- What Matters To You - Worksheet
- Activities & Resources - Thinking About College
Below are a set of resources to inspire conversations about financial aid and locating programs locally and regionally for foster youth.
- FAFSA & Scholarships for Adopted & Foster Care Children - This site has detailed information about Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and how to find scholarships, grants, and tuition wavier programs in every state.
- Cal State University San Marcos ACE Scholars - This program empowers students impacted by foster care to transform their lives through higher education.
- Guardian Scholars at San Francisco State University - This local program engages current and former foster youth in attaining college degrees, stable housing and career-path employment.
- California Student Aid Commission - This site is one-stop shopping for information about financial aid programs for students attending public and private universities, colleges, and vocational schools in California.
Activities & Resources for Outings
This list of resources is designed to inspire and support successful Bay Area outings for your teams and youth. The list includes a crowdsourced spreadsheet of ideas, and a handy Google Form you can use to add to this list. The required Braid Driver Form is here too, for anyone using their car for transporting youth.
- Activity Ideas Spreadsheet
- Google Form - Add New Ideas
- Activity Ideas - Pinterest
- SF Free & Fun Activities - Pinterest
- Braid Volunteers Facebook Group - must request to join
- Braid Driver Form - complete if using your vehicle
Free Online STEM Courses for Youth
Free online courses are offered and are available to Braid youth through Juni Learning, an online platform where kids 7-18 years old can learn real-world skills and solve real-world problems.
- Juni’s courses focus on critical STEAM topics, like coding, investing, math, and more.
- Juni is offering free on-demand memberships to interested Braid youth, which gives them full access to the online courses and support.
- The courses involve short video presentations followed by a project, so they could be a great way for volunteers to engage with youth virtually.
- If you think your youth might be interested, please let us know, and we will get them signed up (with caregivers’ permission). They just need an email address.
- Learn more about the course offerings: Juni Learning
Ride Share Reimbursement Policy
Braid is able to help with costs when teams need to use a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft to comply with the requirement that two adults are present with a young person at all times.
- Because of budget constraints, we can only reimburse rides that involve transporting a young person (not your personal transportation to/from outings).
- If you have an eligible expense, please email your receipt to [email protected] along with the name of the young person who was being transported.
- If it is your first time requesting reimbursement, please also send your Venmo or PayPal handle.
Youth Summer Job & Internship Opportunities
Hack the Hood Hustle and Build Summer 2023 Program
Coding skills for youth ages 16-25
Braidz N' Thangz Internship Program
Hands-on training and experience in braiding, natural hair care, and cosmetology for Black women ages 16-24