Teen Volunteer Opportunities

2019 NBG Teen Volunteer Program

The NBG Teen Volunteer Program is a 10-week summer program that provides teens between ages 14-18 with the opportunity to learn about nature, develop work and leadership skills, make new friends, and earn volunteer hours for college applications and resumes.

Ideal candidates for the NBG Teen Volunteer Program will:

• Be entering grades 9−12 in fall 2019.
• Be open to interacting with Norfolk Botanical Garden Staff and guests of all ages, especially elementary school-aged children.
• Be enthusiastic about learning and practicing new skills.
• Get along well with peers and work well in a group.
• Be interested in learning more about horticulture, environmental science, and early childhood education.
• Have access to reliable transportation.

*Previous “Leaders in Training” teen volunteers are encouraged to return, but are required to complete the application questions prior to setting up their volunteer schedule.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Greet guests and provide general information about the WOW Children’s Garden and Norfolk Botanical Garden.
• Set up and teach Discovery Cart activities at various locations throughout the WOW Children’s Garden.
• Support a clean and safe environment through light indoor and outdoor cleaning and activity preparation.
• Assist NBG Horticultural staff in WOW by occasionally performing essential garden maintenance such as weeding, pruning, dead-heading, planting, watering, mulching, and debris clean up.
• Assist with the youth summer classes and programs hosted in the WOW Children’s Garden.
• Participate in additional skill building activities offered throughout the summer.

Time Commitment:

• The Teen Volunteer Program runs from Monday, June 17-Friday, August 23 (10 weeks).
• Teen volunteers are required to volunteer at least 8 hours every two weeks. With the completion of the program at the end of the summer, teen volunteers should accumulate at least 40 volunteer hours.
• Failure to adhere to schedule requirements may lead to dismissal from the program.
• After completing fifteen hours, teen volunteers will receive an NBG Volunteer t-shirt.
• At end of the summer, teen volunteers will be asked to complete an exit interview for the program.

Applications for the 2019 Teen Volunteer Program will be accepted starting Wednesday, May 1.

Interviews for the 2019 Teen Volunteer Program will start Monday, May 13.

To apply to the 2019 NBG Teen Volunteer Program, please email the following information to youthed@nbgs.org and volunteer@nbgs.org:

Name:

Age:

Email:

Parent/Guardian Contact Name:

Parent/Guardian Email:

Parent/Guardian Phone Number:

Application Questions:

1. Tell us about your prior volunteer experiences (if any).

2. Why do you want to volunteer at Norfolk Botanical Garden?

3. What interests do you have in horticulture, environmental sciences, and/or early childhood education?

4. Do you have reliable transportation?

5. Are you able to commit to the hour requirements of the program?

6. What dates are you able to come to the Garden to complete an interview? Interviews start May 13. A parent or legal guardian must attend the interview with each applicant.