Hi Mark,
I'd love to talk with you about submitting a proposal for AAM in St. Louis. We have used mentor docents in our four most recent candidate training years and it has proved very successful! I'd be happy to talk about the evolution of our mentor-candidate relationship, commitment, and guidelines (I have documents for all and feedback/evaluations from candidates and mentors).
I can also talk about a recruiting strategy I've just completed. We offered a two week free class called "A Taste of Docent Training" to let curious people know about the program, but it also doubled as an active, dialogical program for adults. I was SO VERY happy with the level of participation and the participants indicated they were thrilled with the opportunity. One said, "I didn't know I could do that in the museum!" and I've been looking forward to this all week (after the first class). We limited the registration to 16 people and 12 showed up; of the 12, eight people opted-in to be added to the docent recruitment list. (smile!)
Fondly,
Jill Featherstone
------------------------------
Jill Featherstone
Director of Education
Des Moines Art Center - Edmundson Art Foundation
Des Moines IA
Original Message:
Sent: 08-09-2016 01:13 PM
From: Mark Osterman
Subject: Looking for Co-presenters for AAM 2017 - Volunteer Guides/Docent training/recruitment approaches
Dear Colleagues,
I am interested in finding co-presenters for AAM 2017 to discuss training/recruitment approaches. At Vizcaya Museum and Gardens our Volunteer Guides mentor program has evolved into a model where mentors play a key role in the recruitment and training of new guides. I am interested in presenting the evolution of our model and discussing the current structure of the program along with other unique approaches in the field.
If you are interested in crafting a proposal in the area please contact me.
Mark
------------------------------
Mark Osterman, Ed.D.
Guiding Programs Manager
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Miami, FL 33141
------------------------------