Volunteer Opportunities

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We greatly appreciate the dedicated volunteers who give their time and talent to move our mission forward by supporting the work of our programs.

And we are committed to being a partner in Roxbury and beyond. This means bringing the strength and dedication of those in our 46 member congregations to support our partner organizations.

It means that when we say in our mission statement that we work across race and place to dismantle racism and white supremacy culture and advance racial, economic and social justice, we know we can’t achieve that in isolation. We believe partnerships are essential, and make real our words.

Current Volunteer Opportunity

Volunteer Opportunity: Graphic Design
Do you enjoy design work and want to put your skills toward a meaningful project? We are looking for a volunteer graphic designer to help create historic signage for the UU Urban Ministry. This signage will share the rich history of our campus and connect visitors more deeply with the story of First Church Roxbury.

If this sounds like a project you would enjoy, please reach out to Robert Jones at Rjones@uuum.org.

On-going collection: Renewal House Welcome and Send-Off Baskets are our way of welcoming new residents and celebrating graduates as they step into their next chapter.

Click here for more info.

Call for RYP Workshop Facilitators
With Roxbury Youth Programs (RYP) starting back up next month, we’re looking for volunteers to facilitate workshops or series during the school year. RYP meets Monday through Thursday from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. Sessions can be a one-time workshop or span several days. We welcome any format, whether it’s a hands-on class, an interactive lesson, or sharing your personal story and expertise.

Ideas to spark your proposal:

Photography: Teach students to capture and edit photos of their community.
Storytelling and podcasting: Guide teens in creating short audio or video pieces about their experiences.
DIY science or engineering: Build a small robot or run simple, safe experiments.
Career readiness: Resume building, interview skills, and preparing for summer jobs and internships.

This fall, we especially hope to connect with college admission counselors and educational consultants who can lead a panel or series to help juniors and seniors get ready for the application process.

Last year, our teens learned from realtors, bio/pharma executives, a judge, and other professionals across fields they were curious about. If you or someone in your network would like to lead a workshop or propose an idea, we would love to hear from you.

Questions or ready to get involved? Email RJones@UUUM.org.

Fill out the Volunteer Interest Form

Staff Spotlight:

Olawumi “Ola” Akinwumi
RYP Coordinator

RYP Coordinator Ola Akinwumi

Our Delegate and Volunteer Spotlights celebrate the people who contribute their time, energy, and care to the UU Urban Ministry community. From time to time, we also want to highlight the staff members whose work helps bring our programs and mission to life. For our first Staff Spotlight, we are pleased to recognize Olawumi “Ola” Akinwumi and her work with the Roxbury Youth Program.

For Ola, Roxbury is deeply connected to both her work and her sense of purpose.
“Roxbury is more than the neighborhood where I work. It is home to my purpose,” she shared. As a cultural producer, entrepreneur, and community leader, Ola has dedicated her career to uplifting the voices, creativity, and resilience of the Roxbury community through arts, culture, youth development, and community partnerships.

Ola came to UU Urban Ministry during a period of personal and professional hardship. She was looking for an organization where belonging was not simply a stated value, but something practiced every day. From her first interactions, she felt welcomed and supported, and RYP gave her an opportunity to continue serving young people while becoming part of a community grounded in compassion and dignity.
Through her role with RYP, Ola shares her leadership, mentorship, resources, and encouragement with young people as they discover their own strengths and paths. Working alongside them has also reinforced the importance of listening, building trust, and creating opportunities for others to succeed.
“Their resilience, honesty, creativity, and willingness to challenge the status quo inspire me to remain curious, adaptable, and hopeful,” she said.

One of Ola’s favorite parts of her time at UU Urban Ministry has been learning about the rich history of the First Church in Roxbury Meetinghouse and spending time in its beautiful surroundings. For her, working in a place that carries generations of history while continuing to serve as a gathering place for community, reflection, and transformation is a reminder of what can happen when people come together with purpose.
Looking ahead, Ola hopes to create a storytelling platform that highlights the voices and lived experiences of UUUM’s young people, staff, and community members.

“Storytelling has the power to build understanding, preserve history, and inspire change,” she shared.
Ola is also launching a new podcast this fall called The Best of Us, featuring conversations with community leaders, artists, entrepreneurs, and changemakers about resilience, creativity, leadership, and the people working to strengthen their communities.

We are grateful for the care, creativity, and commitment Ola brings to RYP, UU Urban Ministry, and the wider Roxbury community.

Engaging with Community Partner Organizations

Our member congregations are made up of people committed to social justice, and who have skills and knowledge that can help make a real impact. We are working to be a connector, helping bring committed people from our member congregations together with local social justice organizations to help increase the impact of the good work they're doing. This is a different way of looking at volunteering, and is what we mean by partnerships.

We are working with each of our partner organizations to gauge their interest and needs. Check out some of the opportunities that they identified below. If you are interested or have any questions, contact Robert Jones, Congregational and Volunteer Coordinator: rjones@uuum.org

Community Partner Organizations

We are working to help build a circle of support for DeeDee's Cry that can assist with some of these engagement opportunities. Our partnerships coordinator will work with these volunteers, and DeeDee's Cry, to ensure it's a meaningful experience for both sides.

UUUM Community Partner: DeeDee's Cry

We have spoken with the Founder and Executive Director, Toy Burton, about partnering with her organization, and what that might look like. She identified a number of opportunities where folks can be helpful, including:

Grant-writing
Social media promotion
Helping send thank you notes to donors
Reaching out to companies for sponsorships
Website Improvements
Offering a session on loss/grief at out-of-Boston locations, with training
Hands-on helpers in the community when DeeDees Cry is having an event at the Urban Ministry and other larger public events like Suicide Prevention Walk in September

For more info or to volunteer, contact Robert Jones, Congregational and Volunteer Coordinator: rjones@uuum.org

29th Annual Mother's Day Walk for Peace

The Peace Institute is proud to recognize Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month (SHVAM), a dedicated month of reflection, support, and advocacy taking place from November 20 to December 20. SHVAM raises awareness and seeks to reshape societal perspectives on the experiences of families affected by homicide. This campaign is an opportunity to inform, influence, and impact the way society understands and supports survivors.

The month will begin with an opening ceremony at the Massachusetts State House in the Great Hall on Thursday, November 21, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. All are invited to join us to honor and stand with the survivor community. Throughout SHVAM, the Peace Institute will host a series of survivor-led events and workshops, creating space for healing, empowerment, and advocacy. We encourage all to attend, participate, and share these events with their networks to amplify the voices of survivors.

UUUM Community Partner: Louis D. Brown Peace Institute

The Mother's Day Walk for Peace is a beloved Boston tradition honoring the lives of our loved ones who have been murdered. It is the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute’s (LDBPI) largest fundraising event to grow and sustain our services, advocacy and training.

Again this year, over a dozen UUUM member congregations have teams who will be participating in the walk.

Want to Walk?

CLICK HERE to find a team or to register as an individual to walk on May 12th.

For over 50 years, City Life/Vida Urbana has been fighting for tenants’ rights, and winning. As a community partner of UUUM, we invite our member congregations to support them in their important work.

UUUM Community Partner: City Life/Vida Urbana

Here are six ways you can get involved:

Lawyers and others with legal training are needed at weekly housing meetings Tuesday night in Jamaica Plain (English) and Wednesday in East Boston (Spanish). Training in housing law offered.
Attend “Actions” when tenants are at risk of eviction. We march together in front of tenants homes or management companies.
Join Public Letter Workshops, at the CLVU office, UUUM office or your UU church. When a tenant is at risk of losing housing,

letters written on their behalf to the Mayor, State Reps, or the owners can remedy the situation.
Support Legislation on rent control, foreclosure prevention and TOPA- Tenant Option to Purchase- by letter-writing and phone calls/meetings with legislators.

Canvass buildings where tenants are being treated unfairly, passing out literature informing them of their rights, usually with CLVU members and Harvard Law students.
Join the Devenscrest Village Tenants Association campaign to enable tenants of Devenscrest Village in Ayer to purchase

their units. Over 100 units of affordable housing are at stake. CLVU is organizing with the support of a local interfaith coalitionand UU congregations in the area are encouraged to join.

For more info or to volunteer, contact Robert Jones, Congregational and Volunteer Coordinator: rjones@uuum.org

UU Community Partner: Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center (RIAC)

Located just a short walk from our Urban Ministry campus in Roxbury, the Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center (RIAC) has been dedicated to supporting refugee and immigrant communities for over 30 years. RIAC’s mission is to help individuals and families successfully resettle and build self-sufficient lives in the United States.

UU congregations have various meaningful ways to support RIAC’s work and partner with those they serve:

Co-sponsor a refugee family in partnership with RIAC
Organize donation drives for welcome home kits, baby essentials, school supplies, kitchen items, personal hygiene products, and winter clothing
Volunteer as citizenship and ESOL tutors
Participate in the annual holiday toy drive in December

To learn more about RIAC, please visit their website at https://www.riacboston.org/

For more info or to volunteer, contact Robert Jones, Congregational and Volunteer Coordinator: rjones@uuum.org

UUUM Community Partner: Paige Academy

Paige Academy was founded in 1975, and is the only independent Black school in New England. The school's educational mission is to provide an environment that fosters individual worth as well as collective responsibility. It centers the African-American values of Nguzo Saba, Seven Principles of Kwanza: Unity, Self- Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith.

Many of you may have met Sister Angela and Brother Joe Cook, who have spent the last 50 years educating children up to sixth grade at Paige Academy. We are proud to support them, and this true educational gem.

Identified Needs of Paige Academy: Spring 2024

Help raising funds for the overhead cost of the school van
Creating an annual fundraiser/Gala to help benefit the school
Support with helping them begin to start a mailing list for potential funding support. They are currently using emails for communication purposes.
Help market their elementary school program through an awareness campaign

They are interested in working closely with someone who is knowledgeable in development
Try to connect with previous students (Alumni) that has aged out or parents that have been involved in their programming
Website/social media support
Help plan a celebration for their 55th year next year
Help fundraise for their scholarship program that they offer to Roxbury Families
Support with some beautifications on the site and some ground/garden support