Extracurriculars for a Career in Social Work
Social workers help people and families through hardships like poverty, illness, or crisis. Community service, peer mentoring, and nonprofit volunteering build the right experience.
Find programs that fit you
Programs for a Career in Social Work
Why it fits: Program emphasizes community service and nonprofit operations focused on addressing social issues and community needs.
Why it fits: Key Club's focus on civic engagement and addressing local and global community needs aligns with social work values and practice.
Why it fits: Direct work on housing insecurity and poverty issues, plus mentorship and community support align with social work mission.
Why it fits: Platform offers 100,000+ volunteer opportunities across 56 cause areas directly supporting community-based social impact work.
Why it fits: Community organizing and social justice focus align with advocacy for vulnerable populations including immigrants.
Why it fits: Activity focuses on community engagement, equity, and empowering students to make positive social change.
Why it fits: SADD chapters advocate for student wellness and safety, engaging peers and communities like social workers do.
Why it fits: Community service focus and mentoring activities align with supporting and connecting diverse populations.
Why it fits: DoSomething focuses on building connected, healthy communities and helping vulnerable populations like those experiencing homelessness.
Why it fits: Programs embed teens in communities for cultural immersion and hands-on work addressing local health and development needs.
Why it fits: Program covers victim resources and community engagement aspects of criminal justice work.
Why it fits: Students provide direct support to cancer patients, caregivers, and survivors while addressing community health needs.
Why it fits: One-to-one mentoring and peer support work mirrors core social work practice with vulnerable populations.
Why it fits: Students explore gender equity, educational access, and intercultural communication through a lens of social responsibility.
Why it fits: Program focuses on social transformations and community issues, with students developing action projects addressing local needs.
Why it fits: Compassionate caregiving for vulnerable animals parallels social work's focus on helping those in need.
Why it fits: Program emphasizes youth belonging, purpose, and contribution to communities through service-learning and civic engagement.
Why it fits: Students support individuals in recovery, combat addiction stigma, and provide community education about substance use disorder.
Why it fits: Direct service to homeless individuals and families mirrors core social work practice of supporting vulnerable populations.
Why it fits: Students provide community support and education, mentoring youth and building connections within underserved communities.
Why it fits: Students address critical issues like housing insecurity, food insecurity, and economic opportunity in their communities.
Why it fits: Students directly serve vulnerable populations including food-insecure families, homeless individuals, and children in need.
Why it fits: Hands-on work supporting vulnerable populations through direct service and community engagement.
Why it fits: Direct engagement with food-insecure families and addressing systemic barriers to basic needs mirrors social work practice.
Why it fits: Activity focuses on serving vulnerable populations through food assistance and community support services.
Why it fits: Library volunteering exposes students to community needs and direct service delivery in a social services context.
Why it fits: Students serve vulnerable families and children, building compassion and understanding of community needs.
Why it fits: Volunteers provide direct support to women and children in transitional housing, build relationships, and help address families' immediate needs.
Why it fits: Direct service to neighbors experiencing hunger and homelessness through food pantries and community support.
Why it fits: Students create work addressing social justice issues like immigration, DACA, and youth identity.
Why it fits: Activity directly serves people with intellectual disabilities, building inclusive communities and addressing barriers to participation.
Why it fits: Program emphasizes inclusion, support networks, and advocacy for historically marginalized student populations.
Why it fits: Program focuses on fostering resilient, connected communities and promoting belonging—core to social work practice and community support.
Why it fits: Students engage in civic engagement projects focused on social justice and developing as community activists and global citizens.
Why it fits: Community service and cultural competency development prepare students for social work practice.
Why it fits: Students develop skills in storytelling, empathy-building, and connecting marginalized communities across differences.
Why it fits: Exchange develops cultural competency, active listening, and problem-solving skills vital for social work.
Why it fits: Navigating cultural differences and building relationships with host families develops empathy and cross-cultural competency for social services.
Why it fits: Volunteers provide direct support to individuals with visual disabilities, mirroring social work's focus on helping vulnerable populations.
Why it fits: Students practice empathetic communication and support for vulnerable populations through letter writing.
Why it fits: Program focuses on community-engaged research, direct service, and understanding structural oppression affecting vulnerable populations.
Why it fits: Students develop community organizing, cultural competency, and compassion-centered skills while addressing social challenges.
Why it fits: Service focuses on supporting vulnerable populations through disaster relief, economic opportunity, and community wellness programs.
Why it fits: Program deepens understanding of community issues and empowers students to engage with diverse populations facing systemic challenges.
Why it fits: Program emphasizes social justice, identity exploration, and community transformation—core to social work practice.
Why it fits: Program builds cultural competency and understanding of human societies relevant to community-focused social science work.
Why it fits: Program emphasizes community service and addressing inequality, education access, and systemic injustice.