Volunteers are essential to our mission. Apply today to make a valuable contribution.

Our family peer-support group programs rely on caring, consistent, and trained volunteers that work directly with the children and families we serve. With the guidance and oversight of our clinical staff, trained volunteer facilitators serve as facilitators to children or adults every other week throughout the school year. Volunteers were the heart of our program when we began almost 30 years ago, and they remain an essential part of our mission. Each year we need at least 50 volunteers whose time and energy will make a lasting difference in our grief support to children, teens, and families. Volunteers’ caring presence and willingness to be with families amid their grief is the cornerstone of the support we offer in our family peer support groups at The Children’s Room.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer facilitator for these groups, please see the details below:

facilitator

About Our Family Peer Support Groups

  • After completing the training and being onboarded as a volunteer group facilitator, we ask that volunteers make a one-year commitment to one group for 3.5 hours every other week.
  • Groups take place in our Center in Arlington, located at 1210 Massachusetts Avenue.
  • Volunteers are assigned to a specific group that meets every other week from October-June. Groups do not meet during the summer.
  • Groups meet every other week on Monday and Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons.
  • For groups that meet during the week, the time commitment is 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm; for groups that meet on Sunday, the time commitment is 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm.
  • Volunteer facilitators are valued members of our family peer support groups. Our volunteers must reflect the diversity of the children and families we serve, so we are especially interested in attracting a diverse volunteer population.

Important things to know

Please carefully consider the following points before applying for the training:

  • A 35-hour training is required of everyone considering becoming a volunteer facilitator, and it is free of charge.
  • We offer this training twice yearly, once in September and once in January. If you’re interested in applying, please see the link below. Dates will be listed below and shared in our newsletter as each training session approaches.
  • You must complete the FULL training to be considered as a volunteer group facilitator. Please note: Completing the training does not guarantee that you will be placed in a group as a volunteer facilitator. Placements, if offered, will be made after considering schedules and the volunteer needs in each group.
  • After the training is completed, there is an individual meeting with staff and each participant to debrief the training and discuss the next steps. You must also complete a Massachusetts “Criminal Offender Record Information” (CORI) form.
  • All interested volunteers must fill out an application to be considered training participants. Please note applying does not guarantee a spot in training. Once your application is submitted, TCR staff will contact you about the next steps.  Please note:

• We accept applications on a rolling basis throughout the year.

• If you have experienced the death of a significant person in your life within the last year, we ask you to discuss this with us before applying. This training can sometimes be an intense experience for newly bereaved people, and we want to make sure participants are well supported.

Interested or need more information?

To apply, please complete our Volunteer Facilitator Training Application here.

If you would like additional information or have questions, please email info@childrensroom.org.