Get Involved!

By volunteering with SPRINT, you will gain transferrable skills for the job market in four core domains: Research, Teaching, Alternative Academic Careers, and Non-profit & EDI work.

RESEARCH

• Gain experience grant writing & reporting

• Assist in conducting, analyzing, and reviewing findings related to HS student pedagogy & volunteer training

  • Example outcomes:

    • 2023 & 2024 - Longitudinal study following SPRINT participants up to one-year post participation

    • 2025 - UG, Grad, Postdoc volunteer assessment pre & post SPRINT

    • Access to rich qualitative & quantitative datasets spanning over 5 years 

    • 1 -2 manuscripts (In Prep) to be published in academic journals

    • 4 conference presentations (3 talks, 1 poster)

TEACHING

• Develop & apply pedagogical practices for HS students & volunteers

• Develop lectures and slide decks

• Develop & coordinate workshop series aimed at pedagogy & mentorship

• Gain experience translating research into accessible language

ALT ACADEMIA CAREERS (consulting, management, non-profit work, etc)

• Gain management & reporting skills

• Develop training documents

• Organize multiple volunteers

• Work with people at varying career stages (HS students, UGs, grads, post-docs, professors, university faculty/ staff)

NON-PROFIT & EDI WORK

• Learn about EDI practices informed by the university & Ontario Human Rights Commision

• Help counter anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism and colonialism within psychology

• Build connections and inspire future psychology researchers

• Mentor HS and undergraduate students

Undergraduate students can join either the executive team or help during the SPRINT program.

Roles open to undergraduate students include the following:

Executive Team:

• Administrative assistant

• Communication/ social media assistant

During SPRINT:

• Program assistant: help leading up to and during the SPRINT program (e.g., taking attendance, tech support, answering HS student & volunteer questions, ensuring the program runs smoothly).

• Assistant Mentor: meet with small groups of high school students to help them develop a novel research proposal (Ratio: 1-2 mentors to 5 HS students)

• Assistant Lecturer: Assist a graduate student or postdoc in creating and delivering a one-time, 40minute lecture on a psychology topic (e.g., social psych, cognitive psych, neuro psych)

• Panelist: answer HS student questions during a 30 min - 1 hour session.

Undergraduate volunteers may receive a stipend/ honorarium at the end of the program (funding dependent).

Graduate students & Postdocs can join either the executive team or help during the SPRINT program.

Executive Roles (leading up to SPRINT)

• High School Coordinators - Recruiting & sorting through HS student applications

• Volunteer Coordinators - Recruiting & hiring UG, grad, post-doc lecturers & mentors 

• Communications Coordinator - Managing social media & website

• Events Coordinators - Help plan on-time events for SPRINT participants & volunteers

• Finance Coordinators - Managing grants & reimbursements

Executive members are expected to attend meetings twice per month during the academic year in preparation for SPRINT.

Roles during SPRINT program

• Mentor: meet with small groups of high school students to help them develop a novel research proposal (Ratio: 1-2 mentors to 5 HS students)

• Lecturer: deliver a one-time, 40minute lecture on a psychology topic of your choosing (e.g., social psych, cognitive psych, neuro psych)

• Tutorial leader: lead a 1-2 hour tutorial session (e.g., how to conduct a literature review, how to use R)

• Panelist: answer HS student questions during a 30 min - 1 hour session.

• Data blitz presenter: deliever a one-time, 20 minute talk on your research.

All volunteers may receive a stipend/ honorarium at the end of the program (funding dependent)

To date, SPRINT has been an entirely graduate student & postdoc led EDI intiative in the department. However, we  appreciate and encourage support from both psychology faculty & staff members! 

If you are interested in writing a grant, conducting pedagogical research, delivering a workshop to volunteers, or giving a talk to high school students please email us: uoftpsycomm@gmail.com

Though we prioritize volunteers who are affiliated with the University of Toronto, we will assess inquiries for volunteers, lecturers, and pannelists from other universities on a case-by-case basis. Please email us with your CV/ resume and explain why or how you would like to get involved with SPRINT. 

Email: uoftpsycomm@gmail.com