New public speaking, leadership opportunities available
Florida Museum of Natural History photo by Kristen Grace
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Students ages 12-17 searching for hands-on experience and leadership roles may apply from March 2 through March 27 for the Florida Museum of Natural History’s summer junior volunteer program.
This year, the museum is offering returning junior volunteers the opportunity to speak with visitors in the current featured exhibit, “A T. rex Named Sue,” which tells the story of the largest, most complete and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex ever discovered. Volunteers in this new position will give brief talks while standing in front of the fully-articulated cast of Sue, and then answer visitor questions.
With the debut of this summer’s leadership program, the museum will invite a small number of returning applicants to help train their peers, facilitate daily assignments and plan the end-of-summer awards ceremony.
Junior volunteers also will have the opportunity to learn alongside museum staff in a variety of positions that include discovery cart attendant, “Discovery Room” assistant and camp teacher assistant, as well as work in the museum’s Lepidoptera collections.
“Students should apply because they get to have fun while learning about natural history in an environment that can’t be beat,” said Florida Museum volunteer coordinator Amy D. Hester.
All participants will learn about time management and flexibility, Hester said. Others will gain experience working with younger children, interacting with the public and practicing basic laboratory procedures.
New applicants will be scheduled for an interview the weekend of April 11. Depending on the number of applicants, interviews may extend into the week of April 13.
All accepted junior volunteers must attend a mandatory orientation May 31. Participants are expected to serve a total of about 40 hours during a consecutive two-week period.
The Florida Museum plans to accept about 100-120 junior volunteers from returning and new applicants, Hester said.
More information is available online at http://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/getinvolved/volunteers/junior-volunteer-program/ or by calling 352-273-2056.
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Writer: Maria Espinoza
Source: Amy Hester, 352-273-2055, ahester@flmnh.ufl.edu
Media Contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu