The DMA has two teen volunteer programs: a Teen Docent/Ambassador program for students during the summer, and a Teen Advisory Council during the school year. Our Teen Ambassadors lead gallery experiences for families after a three day orientation in touring and questioning strategies, and our Teen Council plans events and programs for fellow teens and families. We recruit teens primarily from Dallas ISD through teachers, counselors, and community organizations, but have a good mix of students coming from suburban school districts as well.
Both groups spend a lot of time at the Museum, and their perspective helps us understand what we could be doing better for teens. They've given us valuable feedback about facilitating tours and activities for teens that we're presenting to our adult docents who give school tours. Their feedback also informs other Teen Programs at the Museum, especially our workshops and walk-in evening tours. They've also helped attendance in our programs - because we have a large group of teens that have a strong comfort level with the Museum, they bring a lot of their friends and classmates to us through word of mouth.
Both programs do require a lot of staff oversight (they are teenagers, after all!), but in my experience, setting up concrete expectations about communication and behavior, as well as being a regular, in-person presence while the teens are working, helps teens be more reliable and take on responsibility to make the program successful.
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Jessica Thompson
Manager of Teen Programs
Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas TX
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-11-2017 11:26 AM
From: Myrna Hawbaker
Subject: Teen Volunteers in Museums
My colleague and I are constantly benchmarking how other museums engage with local teens, and also engage them within their respective museums?
Myrna Hawbaker
Volunteer Program Coordinator
The Corning Museum of Glass
Corning, NY 14830
607.438.5997