Volunteer Opportunities at Merriweather and Columbia Lakefront:  Looking for volunteer hours?  Merriweather, Columbia Association and Columbia Lakefront are looking for teens ready to donate their time. There are lots of upcoming events to earn your hours.  

The Center for Watershed Protection invites the first 30 high school students that register to join us for our upcoming Watershed Walk & Stream Clean-Up.  Are you a high school student looking to earn service hours while making a real difference in your community?  This is a great opportunity to get outdoors, protect our local waterways, and help restore the health of our environment.

What: A guided "Watershed Walk" followed by a hands-on stream trash removal.  Who: Open to all local high school students, providing 2 service hours.  Where: Centennial Park, Pavilion D   When: Saturday April 25th 10-12.  Space is limited! To reserve your spot, please email: Marlyn Argueta at mia@cwp.org 

2026 NRVC Baltimore City Nature Challenge! Come be a community scientist for the City Nature Challenge! The Challenge is a global collaboration to document the plants and wildlife that survive and thrive in urban areas using the iNaturalist app, no previous experience necessary. Howard County Parks are home to a delightful diversity of flora and fauna, and we need your help documenting it! The Challenge takes place over four days, Friday April 24th - Monday April 27th. If you are interested in participating, please sign up and a Park Ranger will email you with your assigned park and further instructions.  Registration and information is linked here.

B&O Railroad Volunteer:  Roles include: Admissions, Photo Line Attendants, Car Hosts/Performers, Sir Topham Hatt, Play Areas, Thomas Gift Shop, Character Support, Moon Bounce Supervision (Aged 18+)
Free food is provided! Volunteers need to arrive on time at the Main.  April 25-26 & May 2-3, 2026

AccentCare Hospice & Palliative Care of Maryland  Currently seeking high school students to volunteer in a several different settings.  Volunteer with a “buddy” (a parent or legal guardian) for certain patient‑centered activities, participate in indirect volunteering, including administrative support, creative projects, or help with Camp Kangaroo, or Explore service‑learning and community service hours through non‑patient‑facing roles.  These are great opportunities for students considering careers in health care or any helping profession.  Contact myahefantis@accentcare.com for more information or apply directly to the program using this link

• For an up to date list managed by Howard County Workforce, click here.

• Merriweather Arts and Culture Center  Merriweather Arts and Culture Center (MACC) Internship Program.  Paid, part-time, seasonal internships for high school and college student. Focus Areas: Arts programming, live event production, nonprofit arts management.  Experience: Hands-on work supporting concerts and community programs at Merriweather Post Pavilion and Downtown Columbia.  Ideal Candidates: Students interested in arts, music, marketing, event production, or arts administration.  Dates: Must be available June 12–14, 2026; additional summer dates flexible  Pay: $15/hour (no benefits)    Application: Email resume + introduction letter to sharniece@merriweatherarts.org 

• Merriweather Post Pavilion Event Staff Part Time Seasonal  Event staff are responsible for providing guests with the highest level of customer service from ticket scanning, to ushering, as well as security. Event staff ensure the safety and security of the guests and maintain order during the event. This is a great summer job for students, teachers, seniors, and anyone interested in a fun, outdoor summer job! Qualified applicants will be energetic, outgoing, responsible, and have excellent communication and customer service skills! 

• Summer: Adventure Shack Boat Rental Attendant  Apply by May 18th

• Scorekeeper Howard County Rec and Parks

• Lifeguard: Howard County Rec and Parks  

• Lifeguard:  YMCA of Cental Maryland  Immediate Openings

• Summer Lifeguard- American Pools

• Summer Lifeguard-  Columbia Association

• Summer Lifeguard- DRD Pools

General Camps

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center has partnered with the National Space Club & Foundation to offer a six-week program for high school students within a 50 mile radius of Goddard in Greenbelt, MD, or NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, VA. The Space Club Scholars program provides students an in-person learning experience at NASA. Applicants must be 16, a US citizen, and have a minimum of 3.0 GPA.

MARYLAND YOUTH LEADERSHIP FORUM   June 25–27, 2026;  Application Deadline April 25, 2026
Towson University.  Students with disabilities, are you ready to build confidence, make new friends, and explore what’s next after high school? The Maryland Youth Leadership Forum (MD-YLF) is a three-day, on-campus leadership experience for high school juniors and seniors with a disability who want to grow as leaders and self-advocates. Delegates live on a college campus and take part in interactive sessions focused on leadership, disability history, career exploration, and independent living. Just as important, participants connect with other young people from across Maryland - building friendships, sharing experiences, and learning from one another. Learn more and apply for MD-YLF.

Camp Kessem: A free camp for any child between the ages of 6 and 18 that have been affected by a caregiver's cancer. The camp will take place from August 2nd to 7th at the Pecometh Campsite in Centreville, Maryland. 

Fire Protection Engineering Challenge Design Camp  is a week-long design and construction camp that ends in a team competition. In teams of 3 or 4, participants will design, test and build a two-room apartment along with the notification, detection and suppression systems in that apartment. The teams will bring their apartments to be fire-tested in a competition at the end of the week in the University of Maryland fire labs.  This camp is held on the campus of Mt. St. Joe High School.

HCC Kids on Campus:  HCC’s Kids on Campus summer program offers hundreds of engaging classes for students ages 6–17. Students can explore STEM, sports, culinary arts, creative expression, test preparation, and more — all on our scenic college campus in Howard County. 

Sheffield Institute for Recording Arts Summer Camp:  Train in two state-of-the-art recording studios, dedicated video production rooms, a professional editing suite, and a fully equipped digital audio workspace. This is the same environment industry professionals use every day. 

College Courses and Programs:

UMD Terps Young Scholars:  This summer, join the University of Maryland’s Terp Young Scholars program for a transformative pre-college experience. In just three weeks, high school students (rising grade 10 to graduating grade 12) will have the opportunity to challenge their academic curiosity, connect with faculty, and earn three university credits.

The University of Maryland’s Summer Language Institute offers language and culture programs for beginner, intermediate, and advanced students of Arabic, Korean, and Persian. No language experience is neccesary for beginners. This 9-week program provides a full year's worth of language study in a single summer. Students benefit from small class sizes, 40+ hours of in-language time per week, and a rich calendar of cultural events, workshops, and field trips. Students can receive six transferable academic credits.

Morgan State Summer Academy of Actuarial and Mathematical Science: The Summer Academy of Actuarial and Mathematical Sciences (SAAMS) Program is a rigorous academic enrichment program designed to foster excitement among high school students in Mathematics, Actuarial Science and Computer Science.  

UMBC Summer Academy: Unlock your potential this summer with our dynamic, hands-on program designed exclusively for high school and middle school students! Whether you’re passionate about science, technology, arts, or leadership, our immersive experiences offer the perfect opportunities to dive deep into your interests, build new skills, and connect with like-minded peers.

JHU Summer Programs :  JHU offers summer programs for pre-college students, high school students and more.  More about summer programs