Volunteer at the Aquarium of the Pacific

The VolunTEEN program is offered three times a year. Youth between the ages of 14 and 16 are eligible to participate in this highly structured, 80-hour program. After a competitive application process, selected participants will receive instruction on many aspects of marine life and the Pacific Ocean. In turn, they will then share this information with guests at interactive stations in each gallery. These hours do qualify for service learning, but the student gets so much more!

Participants will be assigned to a specific day of the week and are scheduled for 8 hours each week for 10 weeks. The program includes ongoing training on the Aquarium, its animals and habitats, and on development of exhibit interpretation skills.

What do VolunTEENS do?
VolunTEENS are trained to interpret to our guests about the Aquarium, its inhabitants and ecosystem. Participants will receive special instruction on many aspects of marine life and the Pacific Ocean; in turn, they share this information with guests at interactive stations in each gallery. At the end of their volunteer commitment, each student will have gained the necessary skills for interpretation, public speaking, and literary research. These skills will allow them to instill a sense of wonder, respect, and stewardship for the Pacific Ocean, its inhabitant, and ecosystems. They will have also gained the level of skill to become an exhibit interpreter in our education department. At the end of the programs duration, VolunTEENs will produce a final presentation that exhibits what they have gained from this program. VolunTEENS does not offer animal care or animal training opportunities.

Requirements
Have at least a 2.5 GPA
Be between the ages of 14 to 16
Complete an application
Submit a typed essay on why you should be selected for this program
Submit one letter of recommendation
Participate in an interview process
If accepted, complete the required training
To Apply
To submit a complete application you will need the following items:

A digital copy of your school transcripts
One Letter of Reference:
The recommender should not be a person related to you. We recommend that you select someone who can speak to your interest in science or marine life. Feel free to have them write an individual statement.
A Personal Statement:
Tell us in 300 to 400 words, why we should select you for this program. You should include personal attributes that will benefit the Aquarium and what you hope to gain from the experience. You are urged to be creative; let your personality show. Your essay must be double-spaced and in a legible font such as Arial, Tahoma or Times Roman.
Each of these items must be uploaded to your online application.