Embedded Files
Classes & Programs
Classes & Programs
General Interest
Landmark College programs: LC Online Dual Enrollment Courses and the High School Summer Program. Online courses in about 20 different subjects covering business, science, math, the arts, and humanities, as well as their flagship "Perspectives in Learning" course. The summer program provides a "taste of college life" over three weeks living on campus.
Johns Hopkins CTY: Offers a variety of high school academic courses (including chess, math, coding, forensic science, literature, world languages, writing, and AP courses).
ASU Prep also offers a variety of high school courses including world languages (Mandarin, German, Spanish, Latin, French, ASL, and Arabic), Forensic Science, Calculus, Psychology, Economics, Piano, & Anatomy and Physiology.
Apex Learning's EdOptions Academy offers blended or virtual options of AP courses, three years of American Sign Language, Audio-Visual Technology courses, Drafting and Design, Anatomy, and more
BYU Independent Study is another great option for students who want to further their exploration in an area of strength. Many of their courses are UC (CA ed) and OSPI (WA state) approved. They offer a WIDE range of courses and their language courses offer great support.
University of California's public directory of online course publishers of high school courses for enrichment or credit recovery. See also courses offered at Silicone Valley High School.
Coursera offers some free online courses, some university courses, and lots of choices.
Young Scholar's Academy Owned and operated by a former Bridges' teacher, YSA offers year round life skills classes, AP prep courses, and self-paced courses in addition to summer courses.
Institute for Educational Advancement (Pasadena, CA) offers many valuable programs and services for gifted students aged 2-18 including enrichment classes, high school scholarship, summer research and work experience!, science research, and YUNASA summer camp.
California Community Colleges offer classes throughout the year that are free to CA high school students. This is a good choice for students who are ready for advanced work in a particular area and who regularly get their work in on time with no prodding. Remember that courses taken will earn credit and go on your permanent record.
World Languages
Language Bird Language Bird offers multiple years (often 6) of instruction in 15 different languages.
Stem
UCLA Math Circle Elementary through high school. "Following the traditions of Russian and Eastern European math circles, the program focuses on showcasing the beauty of mathematics and its applications, improving problem solving skills, preparing students for a variety of contests and competitions, creating a social context for mathematically inclined students as well as attracting students to math-related careers."
Kitty Hawk Squadron is an Aviation Explorer Post offering flight training to youth ages 14-21. Flight school (Van Nuys Airport)
Kitty Hawk Squadron is an Aviation Explorer Post offering flight training to youth ages 14-21. Flight school (Van Nuys Airport)
Art and writing
Get Lit: For youth into poetry, film, and music.
The Juniper Institute for Young Writers offers writing writing workshops throughout the year.
The Colburn School's private music lessons are year round.
Through Lewis University, Jet Fuel Review is run by students and faculty advisers Dr. Simone Muench and Dr. Jackie White. In the spirit of journals such as Joliet Junior College’s Wordeater, Illinois Wesleyan University’sTributaries, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Dear Navigator, Lewis alumna Mary Egan, under the supervision of Dr. Simone Muench, launched a journal run with a national scope for publication. Though this journal is run by students and faculty at Lewis University, a university nestled in the Midwest, we hope to reach people thousands of miles from our verdant campus by being entirely online.
Scholastic Arts and Writers awards. Students send in art or writing to be considered for National Awards in writing or in the arts.
History, politics, and debate
YMCA Youth and Government (model legislature and courts program): This is a school year program and a great opportunity to hang out with other young people interested in debate, politics, government. See the website of your local YMCA to sign up.
College Readiness
Beacon's Navigator Prep: A virtual program that engages "both students and parents. Available up to nine months before entering any college in the nation, Navigator PREP proactively addresses the executive functioning, social, and emotional regulation deficits that impede college success."
Contests & Awards
Contests & Awards
Scholastic Arts and Writers
ReEarth Art Prize
the Young Arts Competition
CSUN San Fernando Valley High School Invitational
More arts competitions
Community Service
Community Service
Community Service
Click here to access the Bridges LA community service form.
In-Person Volunteer Opportunities for High School Students: LOS ANGELES
11465 Cumpston St, North Hollywood, Ca 91601
Do some good while getting outdoors and spending a Saturday at the beach. Volunteers for 0 Debris help pick up trash around shorelines to “benefit not only humankind, but also the marine life with which we co-exist and from which we get our sustenance.” Sign up for events online and show up to help!
Alexandria House — Top Chef Program
426 S. Alexandria Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90020
Alexandria House is a transitional residence for women and women with children. The Top Chef Program is Alexandria House’s meal volunteer program. Volunteers may work Monday through Sunday at 6:00 pm, serving dinner for current residents and other members of the Alexandria House community. Guidelines are available online.
Big Sunday
6111 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038
Big Sunday is an excellent resource with many ways for volunteers to get involved and make a difference in communities. Big Sunday believes everyone can help make a positive difference. Check their website for volunteer opportunities, including ways to benefit from home.
This organization partners with ChowMatch to ensure no food is wasted and excess food is delivered to those most in need. Minors can still volunteer as long as they’re also volunteering with someone over 18.
Great Food Program
St. James Episcopal Church
3903 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010
There are several volunteer opportunities available through St. James Episcopal Church. Teens may wish to assist with the Soup Kitchen (generally on Tuesdays and Fridays), the Food Pantry (Thursdays), and the Shower of Hope program (Saturdays).
There are multiple ways for high school students to volunteer and assist The Humane Society’s critical mission of ending all animal cruelty. Many can be done at home, such as serving as a phone banking volunteer (the minimum age for volunteers is 16). Check the website for details.
Kitty Bungalow
2032 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90062
Kitty Bungalow depends on its volunteers to help them improve the lives of over 1,500 cats and kittens per year. Students can volunteer by providing their homes temporarily and serving as “foster mamas and papas.”
Provides a good up-to-date database of local virtual, outdoor, or indoor activities. Want to work with animals? Be outside? Help through music or photography? The search function allows teens to match their strengths and preferred activities with organizations in need of help. Here are results of a search for Teen foodpacking and outdoor volunteer activities near North Hollywood.
Volunteers must help “sort, stack, and shelve valuable food to distribute to the hungry throughout Los Angeles.” Volunteers must be at least 18 to help assist the L.A. Regional Food Bank, the second-largest food bank in the U.S.
Meaningful Gardens
Diablo, California
Did you know that you can sprout a seed garden in less than an hour without garden space and soil? Can you harvest this garden in two weeks? Meaningful Gardens is doing this today with many classrooms and affordable housing communities.
Meaningful Garden’s goal is to eradicate food insecurity, conserve water, and look to the future to provide enough food for our growing populations. They can begin this endeavor by first teaching students how to sprout seeds and then planting using a hydroponic gardening system, ultimately hoping to build a community garden in these areas of need. Both online and in-person volunteering for high school students.
The Midnight Mission
601 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles, CA 90014
A variety of volunteer opportunities are available with The Midnight Mission. The Midnight Mission was founded in 1914 and continues to serve as a homeless shelter and homeless services provider. Teens may choose to tutor, sort clothing, serve meals, make food boxes and hygiene kits, and more. Details are available online.
Volunteers can help pack food into bags at Temple Beth Hillel, transport the bags to First Christian Church, or make sack lunches at home and bring them to the church.
There are many ways for teens to get involved and help P.A.T.H. Various kits are in demand right now, including care kits, stay-at-home kits for families, food support kits for seniors, and more. Check the website for further details.
Create the Change
Check out Create the Change to discover a wide range of volunteer opportunities. Project Giving Kids works by connecting “kids, teens, and families to high-quality, age-appropriate volunteer activities with a network of nonprofit partners across the country.” Find a cause you feel passionate about and ways to help on the website.
QBSDR rescues Corgis. They need volunteers to walk, train, and photograph dogs, clean out kennels, and assist with adoption events.
Reading to Kids
1600 Sawtelle Blvd. Ste. 210, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Teens who love reading and want to help younger children with homework should check out Reading to Kids. Multiple opportunities are available for teens to volunteer as readers at Saturday reading clubs. Details are available online.
The American Red Cross has a variety of volunteer opportunities available, including volunteer-from-home options. Check the website to find the role that best fits your needs and passions —helping behind the scenes, with technology, with fundraising, etc. Additionally, the Red Cross has a particular webpage geared explicitly toward youth and young adult volunteers.
School on Wheels provides “free tutoring and mentoring to children from kindergarten through twelfth grade living in shelters, motels, vehicles, group foster homes, and on the streets in Southern California.” Tutors are all volunteers. Teens between the ages of 16-18 can serve as peer tutors, tutoring one hour per week. Check the website for details.
A therapeutic horseback riding service, Star Horses offers sessions in Burbank at the Equestrian Center near Griffith Park. Volunteers are trained to work with the horses and equipment.
Together We Rise offers teens the chance to help with a Safer at Home Service Project. Teens work from home to help create a unique Sweet Case Kit for foster children to use when moving houses. (Often, foster children are only given a trash bag to move their belongings). Sign up online.
Tree People organizes local habitat restoration projects and neighborhood tree planting events. It’s a great way to get outdoors, meet new people, and get a little dirty.
Volunteer Match is an extensive database with a comprehensive listing of volunteer opportunities, including virtual volunteer opportunities. If your teen has a field they feel passionately about; this may be the site that helps find a related volunteer opportunity.
High school seniors who feel strongly about their right to vote may want to check out ServiceVote. There are several ways for teens to help register, educate, and prepare to vote in the upcoming election.
LA Makerspace is based on Maker culture. All youth in L.A. have the opportunity to learn STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) skills. LA Makerspace is always looking for instructors, instructor helpers, handy types, arty types, code-y types, kid-friendly types, and all kinds of makers to pitch in generally. We’d love to hear from you!
Virtual Volunteer Opportunities for High School Students:
Best Buddies is the “world’s largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical, and economic isolation of the 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).” There are several ways to get involved as a virtual volunteer, such as becoming an “e-buddy,” hosting a virtual activity or workshop and more. Check the website for details on how to get started.
Bored of Boredom is a student-run organization providing free virtual tutoring to K-8 students worldwide. Its mission is to bring educational enrichment to all, especially those who have historically been excluded from enrichment opportunities. They offer one-on-one tutoring and group classes, and prospective tutors can choose which they would like to provide. They are looking for high school students in good academic standing who enjoy working with children. Check out their website to sign up as a tutor.
One way for students to get involved with Habitat for Humanity is through campus chapters. “Each campus chapter is a student-led, student-initiated organization on a high school or college campus that partners with the local Habitat for Humanity to fulfill the four functions of a campus chapter.” Check the website for details to find out how to start one at Bridges!
High school students can sign up with “Learn To Be” and serve as virtual tutors for K-12 students who need academic assistance in science, reading, and math. Tutors work online and one-on-one with students. Check the website for details on how to sign up and become matched with a student.
Meaningful Teens
Virtual Online One-To-One Tutoring
Meaningful Teens is an educational nonprofit that provides online literacy and English learning programs for refugees, recent immigrants, and low-income youth. They aspire to help these learners achieve their full potential in life while also enabling our high school and college volunteer tutors to expand their view of the world. Weekly volunteer opportunities are offered via Zoom.
With TeensGive Virtual Volunteering, high school students serve as tutors to children needing extra academic assistance. Application information is available online.
Voice of Calling
19431 Business Ctr. Dr., Northridge, CA 91324
Voice of Calling is a nonprofit organization of young computer scientists established in 2018 to help those who need computer science education. Their primary purpose is to provide online and offline education about computer software and hardware for those with little computer education access. They also research computer science and develop applications. Please check their website for application information
A good up-to-date database of local virtual, outdoor, or indoor activities. Want to work with animals? Be outside? Help through music or photography? The search function allows teens to match their strengths and preferred activities with organizations in need of help. Here are results of a search for Teen Virtual volunteer activities.
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