Volunteer to Assist a Student with Special Needs
MESD Outdoor School > For Student Leaders > Special Needs Volunteers
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Special Needs volunteers help individual students to be successful in the Outdoor School program. Volunteers typically stay overnight at the site, and may or may not stay in the same cabin with their student, depending on the needs of the student. Student needs may be behavioral, developmental, emotional, or mobility-related. We will do our best to match you with a student whose needs match your skills. For more information about volunteering to help with special needs, contact Kitty Boryer.
Please fill out all three forms to the right, and submit them to Kitty Boryer. 
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Kitty Boryer
503-257-1607
[email protected]
Volunteer Registration Form (Word)
Criminal History Verification (Word)
Non-Disclosure Agreement (Word)
Bonus: Download guide to volunteering at ODS (PDF)

A Letter to Potential Outdoor School Volunteers

from “Tangerine,” special needs volunteer:
Are you beyond high school age but still interested in giving your time and energy to Outdoor School?  We have a special role for you!

Some of the 6th graders we accommodate at Outdoor School have specific needs that require one-on-one help. Some students will need extra supervision or assistance with basic tasks, such as dressing properly for the weather, tying their shoes, keeping their belongings tidy, cutting up their food, keeping up with the group on a hike, or maneuvering their wheelchair. They may need a simpler style of instruction, different activities, or more individual attention so they can understand what is being taught. They may need redirection in order to focus on the activity at hand. Or they may bring emotional issues to Outdoor School and need extra coaching on interacting appropriately with peers and leaders, and regulating their own emotions and behavior.

Whatever the need, we want to provide an opportunity for the student to be a success at Outdoor School—and that's where you come in! As a Special Needs Volunteer, (or "S'Need"), you will be taking on a unique challenge that requires a lot of flexibility. You will be coordinating with the student's teacher, the Student Leader who leads the cabin, and the Special Needs Program Leader to provide the best support for the child you are helping, who may or may not need to know that you are assigned to them. Their needs may change as the week progresses, or you may realize that they had needs that we didn't anticipate—or that in fact they need little or no extra help.  In that case, we might ask you to step into the Student Leader position, or help the staff in a different role altogether.
Ideally, the volunteer in this role will be blending into the background, and allowing the high school Student Leaders to assume leadership of the group as a whole. This can be a big transition for former Student Leaders who have cultivated the skills of teaching on resource, leading songs, and taking responsibility for the cabin group. The role of a S'Need requires almost an opposite set of skills: supporting instead of taking charge, allowing the Student Leaders to learn by trial and error and develop their own leadership style. It has been said that when you are fully successful in the role of S'Need, no one even notices that you are there!

This role offers a wonderful opportunity to learn more about people who have special needs. It requires creative problem-solving and may provide ample opportunity to improve your conflict management skills; it also provides more latitude than the Student Leader role for you to make your own judgment calls about where you should be, and when. This role can be very rich and emotionally rewarding—it gives you the opportunity to see the world as the child does, and it is very satisfying to see a child triumph over her challenges and know that you played a pivotal role in her success.
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Whether you have volunteered with Outdoor School before or not, if you are enthusiastic about the program and the opportunity to help a child succeed, we are thrilled to have you come out and volunteer! Simply fill out and send in the forms below or email Kitty Boryer, and we'll help choose a week in the session that fits your schedule. We also recommend that you read the section entitled "For Student Leaders"—among other things, you can see the list of What To Bring, and read more about what the Student Leaders do so you will know what to expect.