Young Adult Summer Volunteer Cohort

Young Adult Summer Volunteer Corhort

We provide a high-quality summer experience for accepted participants to:

Meet other young adults in the area in a social setting who are also passionate about volunteerism

Experience on the job training and grow professional skills, such as organization and collaboration.

Build community through art within the cohort, with our participants, and with the larger art community.

Gain insight into non-profit program management – specifically inclusive programming as all volunteers will work with a wide audience of diverse abilities on their shifts.

Artists Creating Together’s Young Adult Summer Volunteer Cohort supports young adults ages 16–22 in giving back to the Greater Grand Rapids community while gaining meaningful volunteer and professional experience.

About The Program

Certificate verifying service hours

Resume and college/job application experience

Eligibility for future paid program assistant roles

Opportunity to apply for ACT internships (school credit available at participating institutions)

What You'll Gain

Applications
- Feb 5, 2026 – Applications open
- Mar 31, 2026 – Applications due (midnight)
- Apr 7, 2026 – Notifications sent
Events
- Mar 12, 2026 (4–4:45pm) – Info Session #1
- Mar 19, 2026 (5–5:45pm) – Info Session #2
- Apr 18, 2026 (2–4pm) – Mandatory Orientation
- Jul 30, 2026 (4–6pm) – End of Summer Celebration

Important Dates

You are a young adult aged 16-22 living, working, and/or attending school in West Michigan.

You have reliable transportation or a transportation plan that lets you arrive punctually to both the ACT studio and off-site locations in the West Michigan area for volunteer shifts. ACT is unable to provide transportation to off-site volunteer opportunities.

You have access to receive and monitor email communications.

You believe that the arts are a fundamental tool in helping all people reach their potential. You are passionate about inclusion and ensuring those with disabilities have access to the arts. You are hard-working, organized, take initiative, and work well with others in a team setting.

You are available to attend the mandatory Orientation on Saturday, April 18, 2026.

Is this Program Right for You?

Application Process:

Submit a Young Adult Summer Volunteer Cohort application by the deadline

Application will include:

General information questions,

Consent and liability signatures,

Two short answer questions regarding your interest in the program,

how many hours you’d like to volunteer this summer

agreement that you have read and can commit to the program requirements

Your application will then be reviewed by the Program team and Executive Director

How to Apply

Q: Do I need to attend both information sessions?

A: Nope! Both information sessions will have the same content, so you can pick the one that works best for your schedule.

Q: Will I only be able to sign up for 10 volunteer hours this summer?

A: No! Ten hours is the minimum to participate in this program but there will be more than 10 hours worth of opportunities to volunteer and you are welcome to sign up for as many as you like. We usually have at least 20 big events out in the community during the summer and we need lots of volunteers for them.

Q: Is there a fee to participate?A: No!

Q: Why is the orientation mandatory? A: We want everyone in the cohort at the orientation so ACT staff can meet you and you can meet each other. Then when you show up to volunteer shifts, you’ll know a few folks. Plus we’ll be going over important training information, safety guidelines, and expectations. And of course, there’ll be opportunities to make art!

Q: Is the End of Summer Celebration mandatory?

A: No! But we hope you’ll join us for pizza and the opportunity to celebrate all you’ve done over the summer.

FAQs

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Attend an Info Session

Ready to Make an Impact this Summer?

Attendance at the mandatory April Orientation

Sign up for and complete volunteer shifts for at least 4 events during the summer, to total a minimum of 10 volunteer hours from the months of April-August.

Follow the Young Adult Summer Volunteer Cohort Code of Conduct Upon successful completion of the program, participants:

Will be given a certification of completion that lists and verifies their completed number of service hours-Can list the program on their resume and college/job applications

Will have the option to join our list of available program assistants, to be considered for future paid opportunities as they arise

Can apply for a future internship with ACT and receive school credit with participating universities/colleges (Note: you do not need to participate in the Summer Cohort program to be eligible for an internship)