Teen Volunteers

Summer Teen Volunteers are trained to interact with visitors of all ages, spending half of their day in the Crown Family Playlab, The Field Museum’s early childhood center, and the other half of their day in the Museum’s exhibitions facilitating hands-on interpretive carts.

WHAT IS THE CROWN FAMILY PLAYLAB?

The Crown Family PlayLab starts with a child's innate curiosity, adds real artifacts and specimens, and encourages young explorers to discover the wonders of nature and learn about diverse cultures.  Volunteers are trained to interact with young learners in an educational setting, staff various environments within this unique space, facilitate drop-in programming, and assist with space and artifact/specimen upkeep and general operating procedures.  During work hours, volunteers will be standing, bending down, and sitting on the floor and on small chairs for extended periods of time.

WHAT ARE INTERPRETIVE CARTS?

Summer teen volunteers will be trained on three interpretive carts—hands-on activity stations showcasing real artifacts and specimens. Teens must demonstrate an ability to engage audiences, respectfully manage artifacts and specimens, and track visitor data. 

WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR BECOMING A SUMMER TEEN VOLUNTEER?

Volunteers should be outgoing, articulate, have the ability to think quickly on their feet, and enjoy learning about the world around them. Candidates should demonstrate a strong interest in the natural sciences and/or the field of early childhood education.  Bilingual candidates are a plus. Teens must have completed one year of high school and be between the ages of 14 and 19 years old.

WHAT IS MY COMMITMENT AS A SUMMER TEEN VOLUNTEER?

Summer Teen Volunteers are asked to commit to one day a week for a minimum of 8 days between June 17 and September 2, 2013. Available shifts are 9:00am-4:30pm on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.  Summer Teen Volunteers are not needed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Teens must successfully complete a minimum of 56 volunteer hours during the course of the program in order to be eligible to become a year-round teen volunteer.

Summer teen volunteers are required to attend two all-day mandatory training dates on June 1 and 2, 2013 from 9am-3pm. If you are unable to attend, you will not be able to volunteer this summer. No exceptions.

HOW DO I APPLY?

Please note there is limited capacity for the summer teen volunteer program. Only top candidates will be selected for the program. Recruitment for the summer 2013 teen volunteers is now over. Please check back for next years application in early 2014.

Questions? E-mail us at teens@fieldmuseum.org.

 

Please visit our Research, Scholarships and Grants page to learn about other opportunities for students to learn and work with Field Museum Scientists.   You can also get involved with The Museum through our Internship Program, click here to view internship opportunites and apply now!