Volunteer Opportunities

We have numerous volunteer opportunities throughout the year. Volunteer and become a host for our Professional Leadership Exchange. Serve as an in-person and virtual facilitator at one of our student programs! Observe the inner workings of our speaker events—and receive complimentary attendance to the program—by joining us as a speaker program volunteer! Members of the Council receive first preference for any opportunities. Volunteers are required to be ages 18 and up.

Volunteer as a host for a professional leadership exchange

Hosting a dinner is an easy and fun way for you to connect with a diverse group of emerging leaders, many of whom will be visiting the U.S. for the first time. Welcoming them to your home for a meal or taking them out to a restaurant is a great opportunity for you to make friends and keep learning about our world.

If you have an extra bedroom, then you are ready to be a homestay host. By sharing your home with a guest for 3-5 days you can bring a global perspective directly to your door! You will hear unique perspectives and professional backgrounds of professional emerging leaders selected and vetted to particpate in prestigious leadership exchange progams. Our international visitors are eager to learn about life through your eyes. You may find the best connections between people often happen in the most informal moments of our day.

You can benefit from having a global perspective from an emerging leader at work. Through a meeting in your office to discuss best practices or a four-week internship where you work closely with an international professional fellow on a specific joint project -- and maybe win a prestigious reverse exchange to their home country. From small independently operated businesses to our city’s largest law firms, the Council tailors participation and sponsorships to your company’s needs.

Volunteer at student programming

Breakout Facilitators are the ‘adult in the room’ charged with ensuring that the program’s main breakout sessions run effectively and efficiently throughout the day.

Facilitators are:

  • Responsible for setting up their assigned committee or breakout session room
  • Present at all times in the committee room to assist students throughout the day
  • Potentially needed to step in when indicated on the script, or if the Co-Chairs are in need of support. The bulk of the day's action should be orchestrated by the Committee Co-Chairs, students who have been vetted and selected for significant leadership roles.
  • Responsible for nominating outstanding student delegates for program awards

Because we work with students and/or minors, our facilitators must already have, or be willing to acquire, the following clearances:

  1. PA Criminal Background Check
  2. Child Abuse History Clearance
  3. FBI Background Check and Fingerprinting
  • Facilitators are required to dress in business or professional attire 
  • Experience working with students in classroom or academic environments, preferred but not required
  • Comfort with evaluating student participation and interaction for awards
  • Willingness to read through committee topic briefing papers provided by Council staff prior to the program date, encouraged but not required
  • Some experience and comfort providing supporting tech needs for students including basic A/V responsibilities (i.e. handheld microphones) and the Google Suite of programs (i.e. Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Slides)

 

Up-to-date background clearances are required by our student programming venue partners for both in-person and virtual volunteers.

  1. PA Child Abuse History Clearance 

  2. PA State Criminal Record Check

  3. FBI Background Check with Fingerprinting or Request for Waiver of FBI History Check.

To obtain this clearance: 

  • Pre-Enroll for your FBI Fingerprint Clearance on the IdentoGo website.

  • Click on “Schedule or Manage an Appointment” and enter code 1KG6XN, which indicates that you are being fingerprinted for volunteering in the Pennsylvania Department of Education. 

  • After pre-enrolling, you must schedule an appointment to be fingerprinted at one of the IdentoGO sites. A list of sites can be found here. 

  • For your appointment, make sure to bring necessary identification to confirm your identity and a form of payment. IdentoGO locations accept business checks, money orders, or credit cards. 

If the individual has lived in Pennsylvania for the past ten years or longer, they do not have to obtain the FBI background check, but they must sign a request to waive the FBI criminal history record check and submit this waiver along with the other clearance documentation.

Volunteer at a speaker event

The Council organizes a number of speaker programs throughout the year. We invite you to engage with this programming by volunteering at our registration table or as an usher! Requirements are as follows:

  • Availability for full duration of volunteer commitment (including after the event conclusion)
  • Proof of full vaccination (meaning, having reached full immunity) against COVID-19
  • Ability to perform light physical work as required during set up of the reception & registration areas

Please also take a moment to review the Council's COVID-19 Health & Safety Policy.

 

  • All volunteers are welcome to sit and listen to the program once it begins and other volunteer duties are fulfilled.
  • All volunteers are welcome to partake in any food and beverage during receptions, as applicable.

If you are not yet a member of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, please visit our Membership page or email us at membership@wacphila.org to learn more. 

Volunteers are an integral part of the Council community.

Volunteer with us as a student program facilitator or as part of our speaker program team. Host a dinner, become a homestay host, or serve as a workplace host as a Citizen Diplomat. Meet and inspire those who share your interests in global affairs!