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Parks Volunteer Program
Parks Youth Conservation Corps (YCC)
Love parks and being outdoors? Parks Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) is a PAID summer internship program for teens. Interns explore environmental challenges and solutions while building job skills.
The YCC builds pathways for a new generation of park and environmental leaders. YCC focuses on high school students from backgrounds historically under-hired in this field. YCC fosters a sense of community and belonging for teens curious about our environment.
Learn more about the Youth Conservation Corps.
Volunteer
Volunteer opportunities focus on helping our parks become healthy and beautiful places for all to enjoy. We lead projects throughout the year and activities depend on the needs of each park and community. Projects can include weeding, spreading woodchips, planting trees and shrubs (in the winter), and picking up litter. All these activities contribute to more diverse and resilient ecosystems in King County.
Community members of all ages are welcome to join us at our weekly public volunteer days. We provide all tools and instruction for these fun and inclusive events. No experience needed.
Sign up for a Volunteer Event.
What’s it like to Volunteer with King County Parks?
- Our fun and engaging events are in parks throughout King County. We prioritize projects in areas that have less tree canopy coverage.
- We weave in environment education into all our events and work to build a sense of community.
- We teach you everything you need to know at the start of the event and provide all the tools, supplies, and gloves.
- We’ll be outside rain or shine so it’s important to dress appropriately. We watch the weather forecast and cancel in hazardous conditions.
- Our events are family friendly for all ages. If you are under 18 years old and attending without a parent or guardian, then you must bring a completed Youth Waiver to the event.
Organizations seeking volunteer opportunities
If you are a group looking a volunteer opportunity, there a few things to consider:
- First, look at existing events: Our portal has many scheduled volunteer events in Parks across King County. Many are reoccurring events scheduled months out in advance. Where there is capacity, you can register yourself and up to 9 more guests with no extra coordination. Check back on this page often, more events are being added to the portal frequently.
- Custom volunteer events: If joining an existing event does not work for your group, fill out our custom volunteer event request form. Please note that volunteer events are organized and led by our small staff team. Available dates are limited by capacity. We often book out several months in advance and receive more requests than we can accommodate. We love to work with groups of all types. Our focus during the academic year is supporting schools, youth groups and non-profits in providing opportunities for environmental service.