Help students return to the classroom.

Whether kids are going back to in-person classes, online, or a combination approach, the new school year is fast approaching and can be a stressful time for students, facility and parents alike.  Currently, there are barriers that exist to youth who are members of underrepresented communities, preventing their advancement. 

These young people possess untapped potential to move the world forward when social and digital barriers are broken down. Through Citizen Verizon, our responsible business plan, we are launching a free next-gen online education portal, called Verizon Innovative Learning HQ.  This platform launching August 23, provides access to immersive technology experiences leveraging augmented and virtual reality to all educators.  

Another way we are making an impact is through our back-to-school volunteer opportunities.  You can help students have a successful school year and equip future generations with the tools and support that they will need to make the world better tomorrow.

Five great volunteering opportunities

1. Be there for students returning to school with CareerVillage.org.  You will have the opportunity to make a scalable impact, providing career advice to individual students, with the potential to reach hundreds to thousands more on the CareerVilliage.org open access platform. Verizon Media team members are also encouraged to help students see opportunities for their future career and help them achieve their professional goals.
   
2. Provide mentorship via email correspondence and support girls around the world hone their soft skills for professional success with GSMA.  The GSMA Tech4Girls program is an innovative and rewarding opportunity for Verizon employees allowing them to contribute their skills, as mentors.  Verizon Media team members can also participate in guiding young women (mentees) on their learning.
   
3. Use your skills in support of education for students globally with Learning Equality.  This online learning resource is organized by grade level to support STEM, arts, music, languages and business education for communities where traditional classroom schooling is not available.  Verizon Media team members can click here to participate in this global learning experience.
   
4. Support low-income and BIPOC students in STEM and college success with Upchieve. This program offers free online tutoring to low-income students in the US, increasing their access to high-quality academic support. Verizon Media team members can click here to participate in this online learning experience.
   
5. Inspire students with your career, passion and skills with Nepris.  This activity can be done as an individual or group.  You choose the topic you feel is important for students to know about such as project management, building a budget, or perhaps a virtual tour of your work space. These topics are recorded and shared with various classrooms across the US so educators and students can sign up and join your live, video chat session to learn from you.  Verizon Media team members can click here to participate with Nepris online.

Supply Drives

Although school starts at different times in each community, there is certainly no shortage of supply drives available online and in local schools and offices.  Some of our ERG partners like BOLD and PRISM are hosting school supply drives online.  We also encourage you to check with your local volunteer champions, to learn more about school supply drives that may be going on in your area.  

If you’d like to volunteer your time in other ways, even as little as one hour, you can find a wide range of opportunities at our volunteer portal.

Tell us about your back to school plans?  What are you excited about for the new school year?

Get social & stay connected: 

1. Take a photo of you and your family taking part in your chosen activity
2. Post on social media with the hashtag #VTeam so we can connect with your activities
3. Tag us @InsideVerizon on Twitter or Instagram
4. And most importantly- Be safe, make a positive impact and HAVE FUN!
5. Stay connected with us on SLACK #events-citizen-verizon.  

V Team, go to VZWeb to join the conversation