How to Volunteer on Indian Reservations in Nevada Near Las Vegas

There are limited opportunities to volunteer on Las Vegas area Indian reservations.

The Indian reservations in the immediate Las Vegas area appear to be relatively well-off due to extensive gambling and tobacco interests. For this reason, there are limited opportunities to volunteer on these reservations. There are a few federal programs such as AmeriCorps and local programs like the Cooperative Extension program at the University of Nevada which do occasionally use volunteer help at these reservations. There are also periodic volunteer opportunities at the reservations' youth and women's support center programs.

Instructions

Volunteering at Indian reservations near Las Vegas

1. Contact the federal service program AmeriCorps (www.AmeriCorps.gov) to determine what, if any, current projects they are running at the Las Vegas area reservations. You can volunteer for programs working with the elderly or youth, providing job training, teaching disaster preparedness and preserving cultural traditions and lands.

2. Write to the Indian Health Service (IHS) at Indian Health Service (HQ), The Reyes Building, 801 Thompson Avenue, Ste. 400, Rockville, MD 20852. IHS provides medical personnel to underserved areas and reservations throughout the country, including near Las Vegas, depending on each reservation's identified needs.

3. Join the University of Nevada's Cooperative Extension (UNCE) to participate in agricultural training and land preservation programs throughout the state. The Clark County office manages programs specific to the Las Vegas region, including the reservations.

4. Organize and conduct a collection drive in your school, church or community. Collect arts and crafts supplies, clothing, school supplies, children's books or money and send or take your collected items to the Las Vegas Paiute reservation.

5. Watch for local announcements of youth programs at the reservations which might need volunteers; occasionally such opportunities are available through women's services groups as well.

Tips & Warnings

• Obtain information from any of several national or international volunteer programs about work they are doing on Indian reservations in the U.S. At the time of this writing, there were none specific to the Las Vegas area reservations, but such opportunities vary according to the need.

References

• alter-Native Voices; Volunteer Opportunities
• University of Nevada
• AmeriCorps.gov; For Native American Communities
• Indian Health Service
• Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs; Volunteer Opportunities
• sdn Student Doctor network; Opportunities in the Indian Health Services; 30 Autguts 2009; William H. Barnett

Resources

• USDA; Nevada Extension Indian Reservation Programs
• Global Volunteers; Volunteering in the USA