Activities

Monday and Wednesday afternoons, 3:30pm to 6:00pm at Meadow Park (2251 Meadow Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401.) The Community Services Division, housed in the Parks and Recreation Department, seeks 1-2 Youth Sports Clinic Coaches to volunteer their time and talent in May for T-Ball on Mondays and Wednesdays, 5/5 to 5/21 from 3:30 to 5 PM at Meadow Park. This active and engaging role is ideal for college-level or older (18+) volunteers, though if you're a high school athlete looking to give back and get involved through a sport you love, please respond. A volunteer will be successful in this position when they: - have the ability to work with up to 20 children, ages 5-14 - posses a deep understanding of the sport - are great at creating positive, inclusive, and safe environments through encouraging kids to have fun. All resources are provided. Show up and serve, impact a kids' life for the better! To sign up, visit: https://volunteer.slocity.org/need/detail/?need_id=1053155

Calling all visual art community members! Do you have a passion and skill for capturing still or moving images? Does graphic design or marketing make your heart sing? Perhaps you're looking to grow your portfolio or meet professional give back goals or acquire school community service hours. This might the volunteer opportunity for you! Our current volunteer needs and ideas include: Photographer & editor Videographer & editor Content creator (e.g., newsletters, creative storytellers) Public Art support Capturing the essence of seasonal events via edited stills and video ... and more! Have a talent not listed above that you'd like to activate? Let us know! Email the Volunteer Program (volunteer@slocity.org) to share your idea & we'll run it by City employees who might just jump on your creative offering! This is an ongoing and regular need, with specific event and project details assigned to onboarded volunteers. Volunteers will need to provide their own hardware and editing software; access to some subscription services (e.g., Canva) provided by the City of San Luis Obispo. We look forward to highlighting your talent and crediting your work if materials are used for internal or external promotion.

Until Sep 5, 2025. Volunteer opportunities from dawn to dusk. This opportunity is ideal for Central Coast community members who love to serve in an outdoor environment year-round and leave an area better - more beautiful - than they found it. This role serves city-wide areas like downtown, residential neighborhoods, open spaces, tree plantings/care, and roadways. A Beautification Volunteer shift may include: planting and tending to native plant species, raking leaves, clearing out shrub beds, removing weeds, painting projects, removing graffiti & debris, planting trees and providing ongoing tree care/maintenance, and more! All essential tools and resources are provided by the City of San Luis Obispo. No previous experience needed. Volunteers will receive more details via a confirmation email and are welcome to reach out to the Volunteer Program (volunteer@slocity.org) with any questions or ideas. Visit https://volunteer.slocity.org/need/detail/?need_id=869289

The Historic Jack House & Gardens in the heart of downtown San Luis Obispo seeks Volunteer Docents for ongoing tours and event support from May - December. All resources and 'on-the-job' orientation provided on site. Great volunteer role for students and families who love bringing history to life! Volunteers must be able to commit to one two-hour weekend shift per month from May - December at the City of San Luis Obispo Historic Jack House and Gardens (536 Marsh Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401). Trained Volunteer Docents co-lead regular public tours, preserve historical artifacts, and celebrate holidays with community members in fun and unique ways! Those interested in this unique volunteer role are welcomed and encouraged to attend a monthly Volunteer Docent meeting or connect with our Volunteer Coordinator to learn more. https://volunteer.slocity.org/need/detail/?need_id=837675

Until Mar 14, 2026. Time: Flexible. The City of San Luis Obispo's Office of Sustainability and Natural Resources is seeking 1-2 community members skilled in photography, videography, and editing to support a long-term collaborative project aiming to restore grasslands and assist in building beaver dam analogs* (BDAs) at the Johnson Ranch Open Space. This role will require volunteers to capture the ongoing restoration activities occurring at the Johnson Ranch Open Space (JROS) through various means of visual storytelling and provide b-roll and/or finished (edited) deliverables (with credit given). The Storyteller Volunteer will be asked to journey through the hills and valleys of JROS and walk along the creek that runs through the property to learn about and capture content to accurately represent the work that is being done at the site. This role will require interviewing local restoration ecologists, YTT tribal members, ECOSLO representatives, community volunteers, and others active in site restoration. Specific times and dates will vary. *** This is a great opportunity for film students and professors & amateur and professional photographers looking to broaden their portfolios and hone their filming, photographing, editing, and interviewing skills! *** The Storyteller Volunteer will receive a confirmation email with additional details (e.g., dates, meeting location, City point of contact, etc.). Please note, this will be an ongoing and semi-independent volunteer role. This project is projected to last from December 2024 through the end of December 2026. To volunteer, visit: https://volunteer.slocity.org/need/detail/?need_id=1016367

Every Wednesday, 8:45am to 12:15pm PT. Envision this: fresh air, amazing vistas, hand tools carving mountainside trails, like-minded outdoor enthusiasts to your left and right, some dirt under your fingernails and maybe some sore – and stronger – muscles tomorrow... sound like your kind of morning? If you love to be outside, don’t mind mild to strenuous physical tasks, and are ready to learn, then this could be the volunteer role for you or your team! This volunteer contributes their time, talent, and physical efforts to assist the Ranger Service Division with hand-built sections of trail construction projects under the guidance and supervision of City staff. With volunteers’ consistent support, the Ranger Service can keep multiple trail projects going simultaneously and build more trail! Wednesday shifts are generally from 8:45 AM to 12:30 PM. Location is TBD, Ranger Niels Grether will email you with location and more details prior to the workday. He can be reached at ngrether@slocity.org or 805 440 5454 for questions. 11–15-year-olds need to have a legal guardian with them on the workday (with both minor + guardian completing waivers), 16 & 17 year olds are cleared to volunteer without a legal guardian (with both minor + guardian completing waivers) and of course those over 18 welcomed so long as waivers are completed. https://volunteer.slocity.org/need/detail/?need_id=835712

Until Jan 7, 2026. Time: Flexible. Reports to Kacy LeSage, Community Services Recreation Coordinator: (805) 550-7556; KLeSage@slocity.org. Do you have a passion for gardening? Love to be outdoors and tackle projects head on? Are you able to follow the guidance and instructions of City staff and feel comfortable bringing creative ideas to the table to improve garden systems? The Community Garden Volunteer Leader role might be for you! Shifts added based on need and garden locations prioritization. This is a great opportunity for those looking to serve in a flexible, autonomous, and leadership capacity. If interested, please visit https://volunteer.slocity.org/need/detail/?need_id=965584.

Every Sunday, 10:00am to 1:30pm at Laguna Lake Park, 504 Madonna Road, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. We are looking for volunteers to serve alongside our Parks and Recreation Ranger Service Division to build dirt jumps under the guidance and supervision of City staff. This is a community-driven pilot project and volunteers play a crucial role in the ongoing success of the bike park; once construction is complete, ongoing maintenance will be performed by volunteers. Tasks are generally consistent week-to-week with any significant variation communicated to volunteers with ample notice. Service days typically involve using hand tools (e.g., shovels, picks, hoes, rakes, etc.) to shape the park and form the course through building out features. For more information on the role and information about sign-ups, please visit: https://volunteer.slocity.org/need/detail/?need_id=1009112

Mon Apr 7, 2025 to Wed Apr 30, 2025. 3:15pm to 6:00pm at Meadow Park, 2251 Meadow Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. The Community Services Division, housed in the Parks and Recreation Department, seeks 1-2 Youth Sports Clinic Coaches to volunteer their time and talent in April for volleyball on Mondays and Wednesdays, 4/7 - 4/30 from 3:15 to 6 PM at Meadow Park. This active and engaging role is ideal for college-level or older (18+) volunteers, though if you're a high school athlete looking to give back and get involved through a sport you love, please respond. A volunteer will be successful in this position when they: - have the ability to work with up to 20 children, ages 5-14 - posses a deep understanding of the sport - are great at creating positive, inclusive, and safe environments through encouraging kids to have fun. All resources are provided. Show up and serve, impact a kids' life for the better! If interested, please visit: https://volunteer.slocity.org/need/detail/?need_id=1053154

Until Aug 20, 2025. During normal business hours. In-person (located at a City Department work station) or a remote, home-office space options (depending on the need and access requirements). In-person Location: 990 Palm Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. Apply to be an Administrative Support Volunteer with the City of San Luis Obispo! If you have top-notch organizational skills, high-attention to detail, and love giving back to your community then you may enjoy being a part of our team and progressing administrative special projects by performing data entry, Word processing, organizing spaces, hard and soft file inventory, cleanup and categorization, and more depending on departmental needs. For more information, visit: https://volunteer.slocity.org/need/detail/?need_id=861380

Until Jan 6, 2026. Time: Flexible. 1341 Nipomo Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. Come one, come all! SLO Community members who live, work, attend school, or frequent the city enough to fulfill *service requirements can positively impact their park of choice. This volunteer opportunity is eligible for community service and is great for individuals and groups. This program equips volunteers with the knowledge, supplies, and resources they need to support staff’s efforts to maintain safe, clean, and enjoyable park experiences for all park-goers. Standard tasks include: Picking up litter Wiping down surfaces Coordinated beautification projects (e.g., graffiti removal, planting, and landscape maintenance with guidance from the City’s Public Works team) Volunteers serve any day and time they’d like, so long as it’s during daylight hours from dawn to dusk. They are assigned a park based on their response to the Adopt-a-Park Volunteer Interest Survey, availability, and need. For more information, visit: https://volunteer.slocity.org/need/detail/?need_id=861404