About

We honor the uniqueness of each individual and embrace diverse backgrounds, values, and points of view to build a strong, Inclusive community and to prepare our volunteers  for lives in a multicultural society. 

The best environment is comprised of individuals drawn from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, cultures, races, religions, and sexual orientations. Volunteering Miami has a larger public purpose to matriculate, educate, and uplift students who have been historically underrepresented in society.

A diverse community alone is not enough. While the work of diversity and community always has been a part of Volunteering Miami’s mission, we seek to build on this commitment by striving to create a truly inclusive platform: one where students and organizations are welcomed and supported, and where their faces, voices, and experiences are reflected and valued. We believe that the work of inclusion is a responsibility held by all and done for all, person to person. Volunteering Miami is committed to providing every student and volunteer organization an equal opportunity to participate and thrive in our programs.

Volunteering Miami defines this vision of a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community by encouraging and valuing:

1. Equitable Access to School Programs and Practices: We implement programs and practices that provide equal access and enable all to thrive socially, emotionally and more.
2. Inclusive Teaching and Learning: We examine and revise our practices as necessary to ensure that we are effective in reaching every student. We teach our members to recognize and understand the range of needs and styles among our users, to sustain an inclusive environment.
3. Personal Expression and Experience: We affirm the uniqueness of each individual and value individual ways of existing in the world. We are committed to understanding how personal, cultural, and historic aspects of identity contribute to and enrich our community.
4. Self-Reflection and Exploration: We teach our members and representatives to question their cultural viewpoints and assumptions and to modify them when appropriate. We are committed to exploring the shape of VM’s unique culture to better understand the experiences of students and organizations from diverse backgrounds as well as to challenge our practices.
5. Meaningful Interaction and Dialogue: We challenge every individual to interact meaningfully with the entire volunteer community and to learn from one another, honoring our differences while embracing shared values. We provide a safe environment that encourages the expression of our differences in ways that invite dialogue and education rather than cause alienation. We encourage curiosity and inquiry so that we can learn from a diverse range of experiences and points of view.
6. Community Involvement and Service: We use the above practices to instill a consciousness of social justice, an ethic of citizenship, and a commitment to service. We are devoted to the responsibility towards and engagement in our larger community and the world.