The NYC Service Resident Volunteer Corps (RVC) is a dedicated cohort of volunteers from the community, created to support New York City government agencies in addressing critical needs. RVC amplifies resident voices in city governance through meaningful volunteerism, enhancing the City's ability to confront urgent challenges while fostering stronger connections between agencies and the communities they serve. Volunteers commit to contributing between 10 and 20 hours each week for several months, making a tangible impact on their neighborhoods and citywide initiatives. While with RVC, volunteers also take part in a professional development and service-learning curriculum that helps build their skills as public servants.
This year, volunteers with RVC contributed over 7,000 hours of service to City agencies. Volunteers assisted with projects at 20 departments across 10 agencies. Some examples of those projects include:
Conducting patient and community interviews to generate ideas for policy recommendations aimed at improving healthcare accountability and price transparency.
Supporting a Student Advisory Council to train youth to conduct systematic research to improve their communities.
Assisting IT Support technicians with day-to-day activities, including assisting with computer upgrades, software rollouts, and end-user telephone support.
Conducting outreach in Brooklyn and Queens to educate New Yorkers about the protections afforded to them under NYC human rights law.
RVC is open to all residents of New York City who are at least eighteen years old and interested in making a positive impact on their community through civic engagement. After you submit your application, NYC Service will work to match you with a city agency host site that aligns with your personal and professional interests. Participants are expected to commit to volunteering between 10 and 20 hours per week at their host site. This includes attending orientation, regular meetings, and participating in professional development workshops with NYC Service during the duration of your volunteer term.
If you are an NYC resident who is interested in applying to volunteer in RVC, click the application button below.
RVC was established to strategically support city initiatives and enhance volunteerism, thereby increasing the capacity of City agencies while fostering closer connections with the communities they serve. Volunteers are unpaid, and there is no cost to City agencies for hosting them. NYC Service is responsible for recruiting, orienting, and training RVC participants before matching them with agencies based on agency needs and the interests of the volunteers. City agencies can interview potential volunteers before finalizing their placements. By providing qualified and committed volunteers to your agency for an extended period, NYC Service aims to bolster your agency's capacity to expand and further develop its programming.
If you are an NYC government agency looking to host a volunteer, please reach out via email by clicking the button below.
Questions? Email NYCResidentVolunteerCorps@cityhall.nyc.gov.
"During my time as a volunteer, I helped address health disparities by increasing screening rates for colorectal cancer. I helped uninsured NYC residents receive colonoscopies for free."
-RVC participant placed with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
"Through my service project, I engaged with marginalized groups such as immigrants and people experiencing homelessness, helping ensure that their voices were included in city governance. I helped to organize a resource fair that connected residents with essential services and fostered collaboration between organizations and city officials.”
-RVC participant placed with the NYC Commission on Human Rights
"Our volunteer was extraordinary! She became my right hand and helped me run and expand our district's Student Advisory Council. She helped me train student volunteers in leadership skills and supported them through the development of their social action projects.”
-RVC supervisor from NYC Public Schools
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