Exciting Summer Volunteer Opportunities for Teens!

Are you looking for a fun and rewarding way to spend your summer? Are you interested in adding experience to your resume and college applications? If so, you might be a good match for our summer volunteer positions. We are looking for teens that are friendly, energetic and great with kids to help with our children’s Summer Camp Program and our children’s exhibit, The Discovery Zone.

Summer Camp Program

We offer a variety of summer daylong camps for grades K & 1, 2 & 3, and 4–6 and half-day camps for ages 4 & 5. Each week, campers will take amazing journeys throughout the Museum and outside into City Park. Kids get to experiment, create, build, ask questions, and learn – but most of all have fun!  

Teen Volunteers have busy days full of helping kids play games, make crafts, see IMAX® and planetarium shows, and explore the Museum’s exhibits. They help classroom teachers supervise kids, prepare classroom activities, and chaperone field trips to the Denver Zoo, City Park, and other area attractions.  Summer Camp Volunteers are an essential part of a team that makes our fun and educational programs possible! 

Discovery Zone Exhibit

The Discovery Zone is a hands-on exhibit area designed for young children and their families or school groups. Discovery Zone Volunteers spark children’s learning by playing with them in the exhibit.  If you are creative and love working with kids (especially children under five), then this is the place for you! Discovery Zone volunteers help visitorsplay games from around the world, make nature inspired craft projects, dig for dinosaur fossils, create slime, read stories, investigate with magnets, explore the brain,  put on puppet shows, build and measure towers, and share what they have learned.  

HOW TO APPLY

Deadline: Completed applications must be submitted on or before Monday, April 15, 2013.

ELIGIBILITY

• Applicants must be 14 or older by May 1, 2013.
• Applications will be accepted until Monday, April 15, 2013.
• Qualified applicants will be selected and contacted for an interview.
• Those applicants not selected for an interview will receive an email.

COMMUNICATION

Email is DMNS Summer Programs’ primary method of communication.

On your application please provide us with the best email addresses to reach you. If you are selected for an interview, you will received detailed instructions in an email message.

INTERVIEWS

• Applicants must be available for a 30 minute interview at the Museum before acceptance into the program.
• The majority of interviews will take place on Sunday, April 21 and Saturday, April 27. 
• Those selected for an interview will be sent instructions via email about how to sign up for an interview time.

NOTIFICATION

You will find out whether or not you have been accepted into the program via email notification by Tuesday, April 30, 2013.

DETAILED PROGRAM INFORMATION

Summer Camp Volunteer Role

• Summer Camp Volunteers work under the direction of our Museum educators.
• Summer Camp Volunteers work with the same children each day of the week for five days, in both a teaching and care giving role. (children are “dropped off” for the duration of the camp)
• Summer Camp Volunteers create a friendly and safe environment within various areas of the Museum for program participants. They help prepare and clean up classrooms and interact with program participants during experiments, activities and craft projects.
• Teen Assistants enhance participants’ experiences beyond our classrooms by helping chaperone during IMAX® and planetarium shows and field trips to the Denver Zoo, City Park, and other area attractions.

Discovery Zone Play Assistant Role

• Discovery Zone Volunteers help children or small family or school groups explore our exhibit components and activities. (each child is accompanied by family or teacher/school group)
• Interactions with children can range from 1 – 20 minutes.
• We have multiple stations where un-scheduled, and often open-ended, activities are set up concurrently. Visitors can pick and choose what they would like to do.
• Once trained, volunteers invite children to participate in the fun!  They lead activities and get children interested in playing with our materials.

Requirements for Both Programs

• You don’t need extensive experience working with children to apply. You do need to enjoy the company of children and need to be friendly, flexible, patient and motivated to work with people of all ages.
• Teen Volunteers are expected to act as positive role models. The actions and words of teens are often imitated because program participants look up to you!

TIME COMMITMENT

Summer Camp Time Commitment

• Summer Children’s Camps run June 10–August 16, 2013.
• Teen volunteers are required to sign-up for at least three, one week sessions. In total, there are nine, one week sessions of Summer Camp. 
• During a one week session, teens are scheduled for the same shift each weekday Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Discovery Zone Time Commitment

• We have morning and afternoon shifts every day of the week
• Volunteers are required to sign up for a minimum of 7 shifts (3.5 hours long) between June 1 and August 31
• Volunteers are required to sign up for a minimum of 4 shifts per each semester of the school year (during weekends and/or breaks from school).
• You cannot be scheduled for the morning and afternoon shift on the same day

Shift Times:

• Morning Shift (from 9:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.)
• Afternoon Shift (from 12:45 p.m. to 4:15 pm)
• There is no full day option in the Discovery Zone

SCHEDULING (BOTH PROGRAMS)

• There are a predetermined number of volunteer shifts for each program.
• If accepted into either or both programs, you will sign up for open shifts through our web-based self-scheduling program.
• Once scheduled, you are responsible for trying to find a substitute from the program roster if you cannot make it in for a shift.

TRAINING FOR YOUR VOLUNTEER JOB (BOTH PROGRAMS)

• All summer teen volunteers are required to attend the “Teen Volunteer Orientation.”
• Throughout summer, volunteers will continue to learn job-skills and activities through on-the-job training.

Sunday, June 2, 2013 (10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.)

Teen Volunteer Orientation (Required for All Teen Volunteers)

This training covers general information and logistics about volunteering at the museum and the job responsibilities specific to your program.  Aside from preparing you for your work, this is a great opportunity to get to know staff you will be working with as well as other teen volunteers. Lunch will be provided.

IMPORTANT DATES AND DEADLINES

Application Deadline 

Monday, April 15, 2013

Interview Dates

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Applicant Notification

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Required Training Session

Sunday, June 2, 2013

CONTACT US WITH QUESTIONS:

General Application Questions

Shelley Knepley

303.370.6419

shelley.knepley@dmns.org

2013 Summer Teen Program Application: Closed

To apply for the 2013 Summer Teen Volunteer Program, please complete our 2013 Summer Teen Volunteer Program Application. Please click on I Agree and then click on the green Continue button. Your application will automatically be summitted to the Volunteer Services Department. Please print a copy of your application for your records.

Discovery Zone Volunteer Program

Natrisha Bayer    

303.370.6437  

natrisha.bayer@dmns.org