Get involved as a volunteer
Overview
The Next Lab Volunteer Program provides the opportunity for people to directly participate in our guilds and contribute to our guild upskilling projects on a monthly basis. Volunteers select a guild for the month to attend meetings, upskill through an applied project with the team, and share what they learned at the end of the month. If you are interested in what we do at Next Lab, learning and practicing new skills relating to our guild focus areas, or even just being part of a collaborative team creating cool things–you are encouraged to sign up!
Responsibilities and time commitment
As a Next Lab Volunteer, you are expected to:
- Attend your selected guild’s weekly meetings, which are between 30-60 minutes, once a week.
- Contribute to your selected guild’s upskilling project; it’s recommended you put in at least 5 hours of work towards the project throughout the month.
- Attend two 30-minute kickoff meetings at the beginning and end of the month.
- Present what you learned and worked on at the end of the month kickoff to the next group of volunteers!
Note: Failure to fulfill these commitments may result in you being unable to participate in the Next Lab Volunteer Program in the future.
Desired skills
There are no experience or skill requirements for Next Lab Volunteers, but having interest and some base knowledge in the following may help you get the most out of the program, depending on your selected guild:
- Technical Artistry, Modeling, Animation, Concept: Blender and/or other 3D modeling tools
- Cloud Infrastructure: AWS and other webhosting/cloud technologies
- Game Engine: Engines like Unity, Unreal, and Roblox Studio, and game design concepts
- Artificial Intelligence: Platforms like Hugging Face, and working with large language models
- Digital Storytelling: Digital and traditional art methods, tools like Canva, creative and informative writing, and other journalism practices
- User Experience + Research: Design tools like Figma and user testing processes
Benefits
Next Lab Volunteers gain a unique opportunity to participate in Next Lab, gaining resources and perks such as:
- Being credited as a contributor in our guild upskilling projects, which are featured at our end-of-semester open houses and our annual report.
- Permission to use our lab space in the Creativity Commons to attend guild meetings and work on guild upskilling projects.
- Gaining and practicing new knowledge and skills in cutting edge technologies while working collaboratively on an applied project with our Next Lab Associates.
- Building connections with Next Lab, our core team, and our Next Lab Associates.
- A special role in our Next Lab Community Discord Server, designating you as a volunteer.
How to apply
Click the button below to fill out a Next Lab Volunteer application!
Our selection process is based on availability and level of interest. If you are selected for an upcoming month, you will receive an email the week before the month begins to schedule a kickoff meeting.
Note: Please check the meeting day/time of your selected guild and ensure you are able to attend.