Empowerment League


About Us

Empowerment League is a program that works with various community organizations throughout the city of Boston to provide a range of volunteer opportunities; usually with organizations that focus on education, immigration, healthcare, housing, criminal justice, and more!

Service looks different for each organization. Since everything is gradually returning back to in-person, you should be able to have online as well as in-person service opportunities. We are keeping in touch with all of our current partners to ensure that their needs are met, as well as exploring new partnerships with organizations that have different needs. We’ll update our volunteers as the list of our community partners (and service opportunities) grows!

In addition to service opportunities, we’ll be hosting Education and Reflection events throughout the year to talk through the issues affecting our world (all social justice work is connected!) as well as how we can be respectful, responsible volunteers for the city of Boston.

Mission

Empowerment League strives to provide opportunities for Boston University students to engage with the local community of the city of Boston through service and volunteering. We also aim to provide a safe space to allow students to become better educated about social justice issues. We are committed to creating a common ground for our volunteers to empower them to be civically engaged and give Boston community members access to the support and resources they need to make meaningful change. We believe that this academic year is crucial for recovering a powerful spirit, catching up with missed college experiences, and reuniting our students. Empowerment League intends to do this through expanding students’ understanding of social justice issues as well as positively impacting the greater Boston community, and strengthening our bonds with each other and the city as a whole.

Current Services

Cradles to Crayons (in-person service)

Cradles to Crayons provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive – at home, at school and at play. They supply these items free of charge by engaging and connecting communities. Note that packaging and storing might take place in the CSC. Students will be notified when we get university approval to move forward with this program

Weekly Commitment: Flexible. 0.5-2 hours a week. Volunteers will be able to sign up for shifts at their convenience.

Check out their website: https://www.cradlestocrayons.org/boston/

Partners for Youth With Disabilities (18+) (hybrid service)

PYD works to create a world where young people with disabilities can lead self-determined lives filled with dignity, pride, and purpose. They have over 30 years of experience, and unlike many other organizations, work both to raise the skills and abilities of youth with disabilities and to increase the inclusivity of organizations, workplaces, and communities. They run a variety of programs: one-to-one, group, and online mentoring; career readiness training; and disability inclusion trainings.
Their one to one mentoring program is community based, and it is offered to youth ages 6-24 years of age with a documented disability in the Greater Boston Area. Matches are expected to meet 4-6 hours per month (matches are expected to follow public health guidelines, and meetings will likely occur both virtually and in person. Matches are also expected to have some form of weekly contact like a text message, video chat, or phone call. Volunteers have to be 18 or older, willing to travel within the Boston area, undergo background checks, interviews, and trainings, communicate regularly with their assigned mentoring specialist, and close their mentoring relationships responsibly.

Check out their website: https://www.pyd.org/

Victory Programs (in-person service)
And here’s the Victory Programs Description:
Victory Programs is an organization that aims to provide struggling members of the Boston community with resources to ensure their safety. They offer a range of volunteer opportunities, and are a great choice for volunteers who can’t commit to regularly scheduled service every week, but still want to volunteer regularly and volunteers who want to do group service. Volunteers can serve meals at the Boston Living Center in Back Bay, work on the ReVision Urban Farm in Dorchester, or help assemble harm reduction kits to help prevent overdoses and the spread of STDs among Boston youth.

Check out their website:https://www.vpi.org/ 

Petey Greene Program (in-person service)

The Petey Greene Program works to provide incarcerated individuals with access to academic programs. To do this, the Petey Greene Program brings volunteer tutors and teaching assistants to correctional facilities and reentry programs. Volunteers for the Petey Greene program can help in several capacities such as by supporting students in adult basic education, high school equivalency, college preparation and English as new language classes. Typically requires a 1-3 hour weekly commitment. Volunteering for Petey Greene will be fully in person this year.

Check out their website: https://www.peteygreene.org/

Time Commitment

Weekly time commitments will vary from 1-4 hours a week per semester depending on the type of service.

Volunteer Application for Fall 2022

Fill out this form below or use this link to be placed in one of our volunteer opportunities!


Program Managers

For more information, contact Program Managers Juliet Marhamati & Swazi Sharma at empower@bu.edu


History

The Empowerment League was founded in 1998 as the Volunteers for Citizenship, with a focus on literacy and ESOL classes. Since its founding, the program has also been known as the Multicultural Advancement Partnership Program (MAPP). Today, Empowerment League has expanded and strives to address human rights issues, promote global citizenship while establishing beneficial partnerships in Boston. Historically, volunteers have been placed with organizations and programs such as the Perkins School for the Blind, Petey Greene Program, and Allies for Immigrants.
In addition to our weekly volunteering, Empowerment League hosts one time events and monthly educational meetings. Past topics have included effective bystander training taught by the Sexual Assault and Prevention Center, a comprehensive understanding of what homelessness looks like in Massachusetts, and an Anti-Human trafficking event facilitated by Kim’s Project.