Through Million Little’s Art Exchange, justice-impacted youth explore their creativity through written word to harness the power of self-expression. As a collaborating Artist, you’ll receive these original pieces– poetry, prose, memoir, and more– to serve as inspiration for a work of your own in a medium of your choice! We currently work remotely with Artists who devise these written words into paintings, sculpture, dance, short film, graphic design, music, and more. Completed pieces may be shared not only with the youth authors, but also with the greater Million Little and Los Angeles communities through social media, ML newsletters, and –when possible– at exhibitions in our service areas. Million Little’s Art Exchange provides artists both locally and abroad with inspiration for new work and an opportunity to connect with and empower young people through their art.

Who

• Artist of any age

When

• Opportunities to participate are nearly unlimited! Try it out once, and return as much or as little as you like. 

Requirements

• Please email your art samples/portfolio at volunteer@millionlittle.com

What You Get

• Inspiration for new pieces for your collection, portfolio, resume, etc 
• Volunteer hours (excellent for students looking to fulfill service requirements)
• Knowledge that you’re encouraging young people to pursue their creative goals and affirming their value and place in this world

Million Little supports the social and emotional development and healing process of youth on a one-on-one basis through our Mentor Program. Mentors are carefully matched with ML program participants based on the needs, interests, and strengths of both mentors and mentees. Mentors can work remotely or in person to support the specific goals of their mentee and serve as collaborators and co-learners in their journey. Areas explored together may include specific career paths, general job readiness, academic support, personal development, and artistic interests. Million Little asks Mentors to commit to a year in their role and to have at least one touchpoint with their mentees each week, whether that’s through text, meeting up in person, phone call, or email. This consistency is important for the youth we serve, and allows for both flexibility and a steady and meaningful connection between Mentors and Mentee. 

What You Get

• Access to Million Little’s training, supportive staff, and Mentor resources, 
• Volunteer hours
• A personal connection with a remarkable and unique young person
• Knowledge that you’re encouraging a young person to pursue their goals and affirming their value and place in this world

Requirements

• 18+
• Thoughtful engagement in ML’s Mentor training
• A passing Live Scan background check 
• 1-year commitment
• One touchpoint (email, phone call, meetup, text) with mentee each week
• Ability to be flexible and creative under unexpected circumstances.
• Passionate about working with children and families

Join Million Little in transforming lives and healing trauma through the power of creativity! This mission takes a collaborative effort, and we could not do it without our dedicated Volunteers. Through both in-person and remote opportunities, you can make a difference in the lives of young people in a way that is meaningful to you. Below are some of Million Little’s current needs.

Current Volunteer Opportunities

• Administrative Support- help facilitators bring student merch design to life by producing apparel samples; prepare and clean materials for upcoming programs; create art inspiration binders for youth; vacuum and organize art supply room; assemble art supply tote bags for elementary students; other office-related and art-related tasks as needed (Santa Clarita area)
• Community Event Support- help ML staff host and facilitate recurring community art-making events; represent ML in the community through tabling (Pacoima area)
• Video Editing- work closely with ML staff to produce and edit videos  (Santa Clarita area)
• Social Media- create content for ML’s Instagram using Canva; help ML staff drive engagement (Remote)
• Fundraising- identify art suppliers and other entities looking to become in-kind contributors; share ML’s mission with potential donors; write letters of gratitude to existing donors; host supply drives (Remote)
• Artistic Contribution- create art to be shared with our community in Southern California and on social media; teach ML Artist Facilitators new techniques and types of crafting to implement within programs (jewelry-making, embroidery, nail and hair art, sculpture, graphic design, etc) (Remote)

Requirements

• 16+
• Ability to be flexible and creative under unexpected circumstances.
• Passion for working with children and families

What You Get

• Volunteer hours (excellent for students looking to fulfill service requirements)
• A fun, flexible environment to make a difference
• Future opportunities to even more directly further Million Little’s mission to promote healing and transformation through art
• Knowledge that you’re supporting youth to pursue their goals and affirming their value and place in this world