In the Santa Barbara Unified School District, students must fulfill a volunteering requirement in order to graduate: Students must complete 60 hours with a verified nonprofit organization. Students can find a list of pre-approved nonprofits on the Dos Pueblos High School counseling website, and can also visit the college and career center to check.
“You want to volunteer at places that align with what you might want to do in the future,” said Gabriela Balfour-Ritchie, DPHS Career Center Technician. “You might think that you want to be a vet, and so it’s great to volunteer at places to work with animals. Because you might find out that you don’t want to after you’ve spent your time there. Or vice versa, you find out that you really, really want to do things like that.”
To fulfill the 60 hours of required volunteering, the DPHS’ counseling office recommends looking at kids camps. Balfour-Ritchie explained that in around two weeks, most students can complete the graduation requirement and often get close to the 200 hour community service award.
To help narrow down the list, below are three of possible volunteer opportunities students can do over the summer.
SANTA BARBARA ZOO
The Santa Barbara Zoo hosts Zoo Camp from Monday June 8, to Tuesday Aug. 18.
“If you love animals and you’re interested in getting involved in conservation or learning more about conservation, then this would be a great place for you,” Volunteer Supervisor Luz Malooly said. “If you enjoy being outdoors, it’s another great place to spend your summer outdoors.”
Volunteers serve as “junior camp counselors” and must be at the zoo from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Fridays. They are also expected to volunteer for a minimum of three weeks. According to Malooly, volunteers usually earn around a minimum of 100 hours.
“[Volunteers] will help lead games, they’ll help lead educational activities,” Malooly said. “Not only do you get to support the camps, but you also get to learn about animals while you’re here, and you get to participate in the programming.”
Students can apply via the zoo’s website.
SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF ART
The Santa Barbara Museum of Art hosts kids camps from Monday June 15, to Friday Aug. 7. Students can volunteer as teaching assistants, helping kids through art lessons. No experience in art specifically is required.
“We would love it if you have a bit of an interest in either art or working with kids,” Education Coordinator Tatiana Rodriguez said. “But, I also love it if someone just wants to kind of just try things out. [Camps] are kind of something that brings together a lot of different interests so if any one of those things interest you, it’s a great opportunity. But also if you just wanna move out of your comfort zone and kind of try something new”
According to Rodriguez, being a teacher assistant at the museum of art focuses on creating a positive environment for the kids.
“We find that a lot of the kids will have an easier time bonding with someone who’s not quite an adult, but also not someone they would consider their direct peer in the classroom,” Rodriguez said. “So, it’s nice to have a teen that is someone sort of in between that [kids] can also bond with.”
During the school year, the museum of art also offers art classes in six-week blocks that meet for two hours once a week. The 2026 summer teaching assistant application is due on May 18.
SANTA BARBARA BOTANICAL GARDEN
The Santa Barbara Botanical Garden has kids camps running from June 16 to Aug. 15.
“[We’re looking for] people who love being outside,” said Michelle Cyr, Youth and Family Programs Manager. “People who are interested in nature and life science are great. For me, specifically people who like being with kids. You spend so much time with kids, you definitely have to enjoy being around them. [The Botanical Garden is] something that’s really fun, it has good energy.”
Students can apply to be counselors in training, and similarly to the zoo, are expected to volunteer for at least three weeks. Like most camps, CIT positions are mainly focused around building relationships with the kids attending.
“With the CITS, every Wednesday, we pull the [teens] away,” Cyr said. “And we do a little training with them. Sometimes it’s more like science focused, we’ll show them how to do an insect survey. And other times it’s more like nature connection based.”
Students can apply via the Botanical Garden’s website.
