Volunteer Opportunities

Are you interested in learning more about immigration, conducting undergraduate research in conjunction with colleagues in Kakuma Refugee Camp, or volunteering with English language learners locally, nationally, or globally? CRMDS has what you’re looking for!

Each spring a member of the CRMDS team offers Intro to Displacement Studies (ENG/HIST/LAHS/STS 2724), which examines key concepts, ideas, and technologies in global population displacement, including categorization, distribution and governance of displaced groups. It will next be offered in Spring 2026 on T/Th, 11:00, taught by Dr. Katrina Powell - contact her at kmpowell@vt.edu for more information.

Also in the spring we offer an undergraduate research class. In 2023, students published “Report on Volunteer Training at Blacksburg Refugee Partnership” (the subject of a VT News story). In 2024 and 2025 classes were taught in conjunction with students in Elimisha Kakuma, a college-access program based in the Kakuma Refugee Camp. Two research reports have been published so far, “Barriers to Education in Kakuma Refugee Camp” and “Access to Higher Education in Kakuma Refugee Camp.” Contact Dr. Brett Shadle (shadle@vt.edu) for details about the Spring 2026 research course. Note: you must have already taken or be concurrently enrolled in Intro to Displacement Studies in order to take the research course.

We also sponsor the Displacement Studies Pathway Minor. Our world is shaped by the movement of people, but the reasons for and impact of migration and displacement are not well understood. This minor addresses these issues. Whatever your major or career goals, this minor will help prepare you for the challenges ahead.  For more information, check here or contact Dr. Powell at kmpowell@vt.edu

The CRMDS Student Org, founded in Spring 2025, promotes belonging and solidarity by uplifting individuals through language exchange programs, mentorship, and community events--advocating for equity and inclusivity on campus and beyond.

Our student listserv is the best way to ensure you stay up to date on classes, fundraisers, events, and research and volunteer opportunities - contact Deirdre Hand (dhand08@vt.edu) to be added.

Each semester we recruit VT students for multiple volunteer opportunities - hundreds have served, and their experiences have been life changing.

The number of English language learners continues to grow in Montgomery County, home of Virginia Tech, putting added pressure on English as a Second Language teachers. In a partnership that began in 2023, we place VT volunteers in local schools to provide further support to their students.  Starting in Fall 2025, volunteers fluent in Spanish provide translation services for parents.

With the fall of Kabul in August, 2021, several dozen members of the Afghan Female Tactical Platoon managed to flee to the US.  The FTPs constituted an elite army force made up of Afghan women who trained and went on missions with US soldiers.  They now live across the United States where many have difficulty getting sufficient assistance in learning English. This, in turn, limits their educational and career goals. Through the Afghan Conversation Project (ACP), a partnership between CRMDS and NXT mission, volunteers zoom once weekly for one hour with former members of the Afghan Female Tactical Platoon to help them develop their conversational English. 

Founded in 2016, BRP has helped support dozens of refugees resettle in the region. One of the first requests families make is that their children should learn English and get a good education. Since 2017, over 100 VT students have tutored these children in their first years after their arrival here - after which, happily, they thrive without our support.

CRMDS partners with She Leads Tomorrow, a non-profit founded and led by displaced Afghan women. SLT connects “Afghan women with the resources, mentorship, and global opportunities they need to access education across borders.” Our volunteers help the women in SLT with guidance through the college application process.

Galax City High School has one of the highest percentages of non-native English speakers in the state. First as a CRMDS and CRE project in 2023, and now the student org Primeros Pasos, VT students zoom weekly with their Galax mentees and meet in person monthly.  Mentors help them imagine broader life goals, encouraging them to complete high school, learn a trade, or pursue higher education. Contact primerospasos@vt.edu for further information.

Please continue to check our website, join the CRMDS Student Org, and sign up for our student listserv (contact dhand08@vt.edu) to hear about recruitment, which takes place in August/September and in December/January.