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Volunteering & Internships

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Volunteering

We could not do what we do without all of you.

Volunteer opportunities include helping with various projects like the ones listed below. Fill out this online volunteer application to apply for any of these projects.

If you would like to volunteer for the Gandhi Institute in a different capacity, email mkgi@gandhiinstitute.org

Beloved Community Dinners

Volunteers are needed to host beloved community dinners in their homes. These events help to build community through providing spaces where community members who have never met, know nothing of each other, and/or lack opportunities to meet are able to create relationships in an authentic space.

Event Setup / Breakdown

A volunteer crew is needed to help set up and clean up events happening at or in conjunction with the Gandhi Institute on an as-needed basis.

Garden Maintenance

Volunteer duties include garden and lawn care, weeding, watering, etc. at the discretion of the garden manager.

Event Tabling

Volunteers represent the Gandhi Institute at various local events by setting up a table with promotional and informational materials and discussing our mission and programming with community members.

Development Work

Tasks for Development volunteers include working with the current Americorps VISTA staff member to help advance the Institute in activities like grant writing.

Food Share Deliveries

Regular volunteers are needed to deliver food from our garden and Flower City Pickers to families in the PLEX neighborhood.

Empathy Tables

Volunteers are trained on using “Grock” feelings and needs cards to facilitate nonviolent communication in the community. This gives them the ability to set up empathy tables in the community and be a listening ear to those who need it.

Thank You Notes

Volunteers are needed to write thank you letters to our donors during the Holiday Season/Time of Giving.

Gandhi House Cleanup

Volunteers would do various maintenance tasks around the house like mopping, sweeping, and dusting to keep our property in the best condition possible.

Internships

At the Gandhi Institute we are blessed to have passionate people from around the US and the world who want to come and volunteer with us. People have volunteered from a few weeks to a year. We give priority to younger people for formal internships, but we welcome all others to volunteer with us in a variety of ways.

Our interns get to learn about what we do and how we do it.  They also experience the culture of Gandhi Institute first hand as a member of the team.  We understand that one of the best ways to learn something is to teach it, so our volunteers are also given opportunities to teach our work.

Due to COVID-19, we are currently unable to support larger internship projects. However, we are happy to involve interns with smaller project ideas. We are particularly seeking interns with skills in social media, graphic design, or videography, although we celebrate the many requests we get from a wide range of individuals.

Please contact Gwen at gwen@gandhiinstitute.org or Christina at christina@gandhiinstitute.org if you are interested in interning with us in a limited capacity during the Fall of 2021.

Testimonials

 “I feel so honored to have had the opportunity to come and join the Gandhi Institute team.  They have all made me feel so welcome and valued. It’s been great to be able to apply my talents, skills, and knowledge to the organization and the important work they are doing. Everyone has been very grateful for the contributions I have been making to the work.  It’s been a great five weeks. I’ve learned a lot and leave here very inspired by my Gandhi colleagues.”

Thomas Stokell, Entrepreneur

“I think in terms of my personal growth and trying to figure out how I want to contribute to the world, it was very inspiring for me to get to work and connect with people who genuinely have passion for bettering their communities. I really admired the way that everyone took time to share their ideas and grow in their knowledge as well as the openness with which they shared their experiences and views with me. Additionally, it was also inspiring to see the model of staying small and partnering with individuals and community groups. This was a powerful example of creating change through collaboration and community. Seeing people so compassionate and devoted to improving the lives of others and correcting perceived injustice was encouraging for me as I think about the type of career decisions I’m going to have to make in the next few years.”

Katie Engle, Intern

“The Gandhi Institute seemed to me to exist in a web of many connections, within Rochester and stretching far beyond, and these relationships I think are a powerful resource that the Institute draws on to do what it does. This network consists of many organizations and groups as well as many individuals who are engaged in related work. It seemed to me that the Institute has many friends. For me this meant receiving many opportunities that I was very grateful for; I had many different and new experiences and met so many people that I felt inspired by and remember with great warmth. I see the Institute as a powerful resource for the city of Rochester.”

 Paul Kahawatte, Intern