Extracurricular activities are a great way to engage with your community, give back, explore and network in an area of interest, show leadership, enhance your resume, and most of all, grow as a person. All students should try extracurricular activities for enrichment. These activities include pursuits such as music lessons, a job, involvement in a club on campus, scouting, volunteering, research and more. The resources below will give you an idea of what to look for and where to find them. For those who want to apply to competitive colleges, it is important that students have done a variety of things outside the classroom and use their leadership and initiative skills. Some college applications ask students to list and describe their involvement so that they get a sense of the student's character. Beyond your academic record, this is a way to demonstrate who you are and benefits you might bring to a college campus. The UC application has room for 20 activities; the Common Application has 10. Those two applications also ask you to describe the activities, your involvement in them and the impact they may have had. The CalStates (CSUs) simply asks you to quantify hours spent on extracurriculars. If you are really ambitious but don't see an opportunity below that meets your needs, consider reaching out directly to a professional or a researcher to get hands-on experience. Doing just that demonstrates initiative.
Directories
GFWC Orinda Juniorettes of California 925-235-0109 or ambernicholson@mac.com
Lion's Heart connects teens with community service opportunties
Orinda Teen Advisory Council (OTAC) A teen-run organization under the City of Orinda that provides fun and exciting events and activities for teens. 925-254-2445
ANIMALS
ARF: Animal Rescue Foundation, 925-296-3106
Community Concern for Cats, 925-938-CATS
Contra Costa Humane Society, 925-284-8586
Lindsay Wildlife Museum, 925-935-1978
Marine Mammal Center (415) 289-SEAL
Oakland Zoo, 510-632-9525
CHILDREN
Bay Area Crisis Nursery, 925-685-8052
Cal Recreational Sports Summer Day Camp 510-643-2477
Community Reading Buddies Oakland, 510-658-7500
Contact Care Helpline – Crisis intervention. Training provided. 284-2207
Contra Costa Interfaith Housing - homework club and other opportunities
Concord Special Recreation Program – 671-3171 Assist teacher with teen club for disabled
Jewish Coalition for Literacy East Bay, 510-809-4904
Local elementary schools (contact individual schools directly)
Orinda Intermediate School - After school tutoring 376-4402
Project Second Chance 927-3250 Education
Roughing It Day Camp (leadership training) 283-3795
Special Olympics, 925-944-8801
Stand Against Violence, 925-676-3845
Steve & Kate's "The Summer Institute" 415-389-5437 x108
Xenophon Therapeutic Riding Center - 253-8281
CIVIC LEADERSHIP
Moraga Youth Involvement Committee (applications open May 1)
CRISIS
Contra Costa Crisis Center, 925-939-1916
Monument Crisis Center 925-825-7751
EDUCATION
EVENTS
Walnut Festival - Jane Etherington 925-686-0557, jane@vahop.vet
FOOD BANKS, SOUP KITCHENS, AND HOMELESS SERVICES
Bay Area Rescue Mission, 510-215-4865
Food Bank of Contra Costa, 925-676-7543
Glide Memorial San Francisco, 415-674-6081
Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa County, 925-682-7212
Shelter, Inc., 925-935-0698
St. Anthony’s San Francisco, 415-241-2600
White Pony Express, 925-322-0604
HEALTH
Care Center of Rossmoor (seniors) 937-7950
Diabetic Youth Foundation 937-3393
Genard Aids Foundation 943-2437
John Muir Hospital, www.johnmuirhealth.com, (925) 939-3000
Mt. Diablo Rehabilitation Center 682-6330
Oakland Children’s Hospital, 100 hour minimum
Summer Volunteering Program at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital
LIBRARY & LITERACY
Books for the Barrios, 925-934-6718
Concord Library 925-646-5455
Lafayette Library and Learning Center, 925-385-2280
Moraga Library 925-376-6852 (friends of library: Ann Parker: 375-6259 or Betty Schlegal 283-4384)
Orinda Library 925-254-2184
MUSIC
Music Student Service League or contact bryanwang@mmslmusic.org
OFFICE WORK
American Cancer Society, 925-944-1991
American Heart Association, 925-827-1600
American Red Cross, 925-603-7400
Battered Women’s Alternatives 925-676-2845
Books for the Barrios 687-7701 Organize a donation drive, computer work
Contact Care Helpline 284-2207
C-Beyond 676-6556 weekend workshop training on a variety of issues including legislation and organization skills
Diablo Valley AIDS Center 686-3864 Clerical work
Easter Seal Society 689-1777
Lindsay Wildlife Museum 935-1978 x15 Special events volunteer
Regional Center for the Arts 932-2913
Shelter, Inc., 925-935-0698
Stand for Families Free of Violence 925-676-2845
OUTDOOR WORK
Camping Unlimited 510-222-6662
Contra Costa Earth Day Festival 274-3669
East Bay MUD 284-9669 Painting picnic tables, fences, weeding around parking lots
East Bay Regional Park District 510-544-2515
Habitat for Humanity, www.habitat.org, 925-933-1296
Heather Farms Garden Center 925-947-1678
John Muir Historical Site 925-228-8860
Oak Habitat Restoration Project 933-5733
Ruth Bancroft Garden 925-944-9352
Youth for Environmental Service 510 674-0889 Plant removal, beach cleanup, trail work and tree planting
SCIENCE
SENIORS
Companion Care 283-5076
Lamorinda Adult Respite Center (LARC) 254-3465
Moraga Royale senior retirement home – Play games, read, errands, walks, etc. 376-8900
ManorCare - Walnut Creek 925-906-0200
Marquis Rheem Valley convalescent Hospital 925-376-5995
Orinda Convalescent Hospital 254-6500
Rheem Valley Convalescent Hospital Moraga 376-5995
SOCIAL SERVICE
BOSS – 510 848-3409 Organize collection drive at your school, organize game activities.
Lehrhaus Judaica 510 845-6420 x12 Deliver catalogs to synagogues, bookstores and cafes in Bay Area
Jewish Family & Children’s Services 927-2000 English tutor for Russian families, holiday food program
14th Assembly District Member 510-286-1400
15th Assembly District Member 510-286-1400
16th Assembly District Member 925-328-1515
Bedford Gallery/Lesher Regional Center for the Arts 295-1416
Chinese & Asian Pacific American Community: website
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Clubs on your high school campus
Bay Area Teen Science: STEM opportunities for Bay Area Teens - includes local opportunities in museums, science centers, colleges, laboratories, camps, zoos, parks, and more.
California Academy of Sciences Bay Area Youth Climate Summit 2023
College Vine: How to choose the right extracurricular for you, a guide to extracurricular activities by grade, and more.
Contra Costa County Science & Engineering Fair (held in March)
CONTESTS
Directories of contests nationwide:
Computer Science:
Math:
Chemistry:
Robotics:
Biotech:
Science:
Engineering:
Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF): Hosted by the Society for Science and the Public, ISEF is one of the biggest deals when it comes to STEM competitions. Every year, some of the brightest high school minds in the world come to ISEF to showcase their research, and its potential to make a significant positive impact on our world. Even just attending ISEF is considered an honor. Getting there requires students to participate in an ISEF Affiliated Science Fair, held in all 50 states and over 75 countries. ISEF gives out roughly $5 million dollars a year in prizes, and many attendees continue their work beyond the competition.
Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS): STS is a research competition hosted by the Society for Science and the Public only for students in US High Schools (or US Citizens abroad) can participate. From a pool of roughly 2000 high school seniors (who apply online), 40 finalists are selected and flown to Washington DC to compete for 10 awards. Like ISEF, the emphasis is on science research that has the capacity to change our world.
Google Science Fair - The Google Science Fair launched in 2011 and has gone on to become one of the most well-regarded competitions in the world. There is no entry fee for Google Science Fair. The application process is entirely online, and the organization supplies some very good resources for students (and their teachers) to get started. The grand prize winner takes home $50,0000 in scholarship money.
Davidson Fellows Scholarship - The Davidson Fellows Scholarship looks for students who are pursuing a ‘significant piece of work’ as defined by experts in their respective fields. Students receive scholarships of either $50,000, $25,000 or $10,000 depending on the quality and completeness of their work.
iGEMS - The International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEMS) competition is an opportunity for high school students interested in engineering from around the world to work on serious global challenges using ‘synthetic biology’. Participation in iGEMS requires a sizable team (8+ members).
Biology:
Writing:
Dance:
Art/Design:
Lamorinda Visual Art Contest (February deadline)
Film:
Lamorinda SuperShorts contest (May deadline)
Music:
Lamorinda Idol (April - August)
Business:
Investing:
AWARDS
Diablo Magazine Threads of Hope Award
Threads of Hope is Diablo magazine's celebration of outstanding community volunteers. Each year, individuals and organizations nominate volunteers of all ages who provide vital services in a variety of fields, including the arts, youth, children and families, education, health, the environment, athletics, and more. Then, a team of judges selects a handful of exceptional nominees to be featured in the December issue of Diablo magazine and to be honored at the Threads of Hope event. Nomination deadline: July.
Helen Dillon Teen Tikkun Olam Award
Each year the Helen Diller Family Foundation awards $36,000 to each of 15 US Jewish teens for exceptional leadership and engagement in initiatives in making the world a better place. Application deadline: January.
Contra Costa Youth Hall of Fame Award
For being a Good Samaritan, Volunteering, Teamwork, Leadership/Civic Engagement, or Perseverance. Nomination deadline: March
Do Something Youth Organization Award
Since 1996, DoSomething.org has honored the nation’s best young change-makers, ages 25 and under. Do Something Award finalists have made a significant impact in their cause space and are showing the world how it’s done. Each year, five finalists are rewarded a $10,000 grant to continue their work, along with media coverage and support from the team at DoSomething.org. The grand prize winner receives -- wait for it -- a $100,000 grant to take their initiative to the next level.
Big Future National Recognition Programs
The College Board National Recognition Programs award academic honors to underrepresented students. The four national recognition programs include the National African American Recognition Program, National Hispanic Recognition Program, National Indigenous Recognition Program, and National Rural and Small Town Recognition Program.