Teen Volunteers Needed

2011 Butterfly Pavilion Zoo Assistant Program (ZAP) 

Do you love insects, spiders or plants? Do you enjoy learning new things? Would you enjoy sharing your knowledge with others? For the summer of 2011, the Butterfly Pavilion is seeking interested teens to assist with Pavilion happenings. Teens must be willing to learn about our invertebrates or plants, and to interact in a fun and outgoing way with visiting children and adults. All necessary training will be provided.
 

Possible positions include:

• Summer Camp Assistant – Help with either our mini-camps or our full week camps! Assist with bug catching, crafts, games and other activities with our campers (camp children are ages 6-12). Mini-camps are 1-3 hours long. For full week camps, teen must be available for at least one week from Monday-Friday, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm. Teens typically help with 1 or more camps.

• Discovery Garden Assistant – Help us care for our discovery gardens by planting, weeding, watering and deadheading side-by-side with our horticultural staff. Opportunity includes helping with our native bug survey to discover what bugs are using our plants in the garden! Commitment would be once a week for a 2-hour shift, from 9-11am.

• Butterfly Ambassador – Hang out with the chrysalids, answer visitor questions and ensure that our tropical butterflies stay in the rainforest and don’t hitchhike out with visitors. Must be willing to learn about tropical butterflies and share your knowledge in an informal way with our visitors. We recommend 1-2 times per week for 2 hours (9-11am, 11-1pm, 1-3pm or 3-5pm).

• Tropical Odyssey Specialist - We need you to guide our visitors through a journey of discovery! Discover butterfly farming, travel with a butterfly through its lifecycle and explore tropical rainforest treasures. We recommend 1-2 times per week (9-11am, 11-1pm, 1-3pm, 3-5pm.)

• Tide Pool Specialist – Share your love of the ocean & its tide pool inhabitants with our visiting adults & children. Learn about and work with our fascinating sea creatures from sea stars to horseshoe crabs. We recommend 1-2 times per week (9-11am, 11-1pm, 1-3pm or 3-5pm).  

 ZAP Requirements:

• Ages: 13-15 (if you are 16 or older, please apply to our adult volunteer program).

• Commitment: At least 50 total summer hours June-August, with a regular weekly schedule.

• Interests: You should be willing to learn about invertebrates and plants, and to answer questions and actively interact with our visitors. A teen can participate in one or several positions, depending on their interests, abilities and availability.

• Application & Interview: Complete teen application is due by Sunday, May 1, 2011. Interviews will be scheduled during the month of May. Please note: all applicants will be evaluated and the most qualified candidates will be chosen, limited to 15 teens.

• Training: Required ZAP teen training is two days, Tuesday June 7 & Thursday June 9, from 1:00-4:30 p.m. One-on-one shadowing with staff and volunteers will add practical experience to your training.

If you are interested, please complete and return the teen volunteer application by May 1st. Contact the Volunteer Coordinator at (720) 974-1868 or volunteering@butterflies.org with questions or for more information.

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