Volunteering with Pongo

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Pongo! We're a volunteer-based organization, and we need you!

As a Pongo volunteer, you will be well trained in Pongo's techniques for teaching writing to distressed youth. You will be well supervised and work on a close-knit team of four to six people. You will work under the direction of an experienced Pongo project leader. You will meet with your peers for 1 hour each week to write poetry, read poetry, create writing activities, and learn about distressed youth. But mostly, you will work each week with a wonderful, changing group of young writers for 1.5 hours. You will help the teens to write about their difficult experiences. You will experience writing that is sometimes sad, but also a source of excitement and pride to the youth. Our volunteers find the work touching, enlightening, and enlivening -- and a benefit to their careers in counseling, teaching, and community service.

What is the process for becoming a volunteer?
  • Please email us today and ask to be on the Pongo email list!

  • We send out a call for volunteers once a year in the spring. At that time we ask you to send us a resume and some poetry you've written.

  • We interview candidates over the summer and possibly have them attend a site orientation.
What is the volunteer commitment?
  • Our projects meet weekly, from mid-Sept to mid-April.

  • Our projects meet on specific weekday afternoons from noon to 3:00 PM. (Currently, the psychiatric hospital project meets on Mondays, and the juvenile detention project meets on Tuesdays.)

  • Volunteers must make a commitment to attending the Pongo sessions, being on time, and staying with the program until its completion.

  • Volunteers must be willing to do homework assignments, including writing their own poetry.
What is Pongo looking for in a volunteer?
  • We are looking for mature individuals who have a clear understanding of personal boundaries and an ability to adapt to institutional rules.

  • The ideal Pongo volunteer will write poetry, have education as a teacher or counselor, and have experience working with distressed youth.

So, please write to us today to join our email list. And include a note about your interest, experience, and questions for Pongo. 

And for a deeper understanding of the Pongo volunteer experience, please watch the in-depth report about Pongo prepared by KING5 News, and also read the essay by Ann Teplick, The Quieter We Become, the More We Are Able to Hear.

Cheers!