Get Involved
Volunteer
Volunteers are an important part of our model in providing high-quality, affordable arts education. Every semester, volunteers give an hour of their time each week to teach our students.
Sitar’s volunteers and teaching artists from our partner organizations teach classes in visual arts, dance, creative writing, drama, music, digital arts, and offer private music lessons. These local visual and performing artists who volunteer their time and talents enable Sitar to achieve its mission and ensure that each semester 80% of students are from DC households at 60% or less of the area median income.
Our faculty does more than just teach; they become mentors and role models for our students, often forging meaningful and lasting relationships. We are profoundly grateful to our volunteer faculty for strengthening the lives of our children and our community.
Volunteer Teaching Artist Positions
There are opportunities to become a part of Sitar’s volunteer faculty for those with experience in any of the artistic disciplines.
Volunteer teachers commit approximately one hour per week to teaching each semester during afterschool hours (between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.) or on Saturday mornings (between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.). Our semesters typically run for between 10-13 weeks.
Those new to teaching or new to working with children are welcomed at Sitar Arts Center, as it is a learning place for all. New teachers have many options which include co-teaching and assistant teaching, as well as being the lead instructor in a class. New teachers have the opportunity to attend Sitar teacher workshops and can also request to be matched with a more experienced teacher for advice on teaching and curriculum development.
To apply to become a volunteer, you must submit a Volunteer Application here.
Other Volunteer Support
You don’t need to have an arts background to volunteer. If you are interested in assisting with other volunteer needs at the Center, including lobby hosting, helping with administrative tasks, mailings, Center maintenance, event support, or a volunteer internship, please complete the volunteer application above, and indicate your volunteer area of interest.
Community Service Opportunities for High School Students
High school students seeking community service hours are required to enroll at Sitar as students during the Sitar registration period and must register for at least one teen arts class (for their personal enrichment – not for community service credit) in addition to registering for a “community service job.”
During the registration appointment students will work with the Senior Director of Programs to select a community service job from a list of available jobs that best fits their skills and interests as well as the needs of the Center.
Students must make a commitment for the duration for the semester (11 weeks for fall or 13 weeks for spring) and must attend both their teen arts class and their community service job each week in order to receive community service credit. Students are able to earn one to two hours per week (for a total of 15 – 30 hours for a fall or spring semester) and are responsible for keeping track of their earned hours.
Community service jobs are not available during the summer, unless students are enrolled in the S.E.A.L. summer internship program. For more questions regarding community service, students may contact Nickole Best or call (202) 797-2145, ext. 110.