We provide opportunities for young people between the ages of 13 and 18 to volunteer!
Ready for school to be out? Sure, the first few weeks of summer are great. But what happens when the thrill wears off? Beat the Summer Boredom Blues by becoming a Junior Volunteer at Mystic Seaport Museum! At the Museum, you’re never too young to make an impact on your community! If you want to be a part of something bigger than yourself, make new friends, or earn required volunteer hours, then this is the place to start.
Information on Junior Volunteer Opportunities for Summer 2023 are below. Applications are due by May 15th. If you have any questions, please contact mary.koehler@mysticseaport.org or call 860.572.5378.
Our Junior Volunteers work in four areas of the Museum: our Boathouse, Our Education department in our Summer Day Camp program, our Interpretation Department, and our Visitor Services Department (See more detailed description of each department below)
We open our application process on February 18. Applications are due by May 15th but we have a limited number of spots, and they fill quickly. We recommend that interested students fill out an application early.
In an effort to make our application process as transparent as possible, here is an approximate timeline of the steps between submitting your application and receiving an offer to join our team:
Step one: Submit your application. You can find one here.
Good luck in the application process!
Most of our JVs are at that tricky age – they are too old to be interested in attending summer camps, but not old enough to work. Our JV program is a great way to keep your teens busy over the summer (for free!) and an excellent way for them to learn responsibility and practical life skills in a safe environment.
We work with teens of all backgrounds and personality types but, due to the outward-facing nature of our JV positions, the majority of them include lots of interaction with the public. This is a great opportunity to learn important life skills under the guidance of our staff members! Candidates should be comfortable taking the initiative to engage our visitors, finding answers to questions they don’t know, and spending their day outside. The application process is set up as an opportunity for teens to gain real-world experience, so we are looking for individuals who are consistent and timely in their communication.
Here is the logistical information:
Thank you for considering Mystic Seaport as a destination for your teens this summer. Many of our JVs return year over year, and it is our privilege to see them grow and bloom. We find that for many of them, the leadership and confidence-building opportunities we offer are what bring them to the Seaport initially, but the relationships they build while they’re here are what make them want to come back. Please contact our Volunteer Services office with any questions via e-mail (contact email to mary.koehler@mysticseaport.org). We look forward to working with you and your teen!
Do you have more questions? Download the Junior Volunteer handbook here!
JV Mission: Help visitors experience boating on Mystic River in one of our sailing or rowing small craft.
The Boathouse JV Crew will participate in all tasks – from daily opening preparation to clean up after close. A typical day starts with the prep of vessels and safety equipment. During open hours JVs will greet visitors, distribute safety equipment, collect and file completed participant paperwork, help visitors embark and disembark vessels, teach basics of watercraft handling, tend dock lines, stand watch on rotation, and move boats as needed. No prior boating experience necessary.
Hours:
Available Days:
JV Mission: Help provide educational programming in our summer day camps for children from 4 to 16 years old.
Ed Department Team JVs assist our summer day camp staff. Typical responsibilities include engaging our campers in structured educational activities, helping staff to supervise unstructured play time, and working with staff to provide educational programming. JVs that work in our Education Department must be available to volunteer for all five days of each summer camp they commit to.
Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Available Days: Monday through Friday
JV Mission: Engage visitors that come to our family and children’s spaces.
These include our Children’s Museum, our Discovery Barn, our Toy Boat Shed, our indoor games and crafts space, and our “Games On The Green” outdoor interactive space. Interp Team JVs help our staff run arts and crafts activities, games, and special educational programs. Examples of typical responsibilities include setting up and cleaning play spaces, greeting visitors and engaging in hands-on-activities with them, creating arts and crafts kits, assisting visitors that are building small toy boats, and helping staff run structured games and educational programs.
Hours: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Available Days: 7 days a week
Start Date – June 24th, 2023
End Date – Can be as late as September 2, 2023
All Junior Volunteers looking to specifically work with our Sailing Classes, should apply through the following link here. If you would like to volunteer with Sailing classes AND in other locations, you will need to complete both applications. More information can be found here or by calling 860.572.5369.
JV Mission: Welcome, engage, and assist our visitors.
VS Team JVs are on the front lines of the Museum and are often the first people our visitors meet. They have a wide-ranging scope of duties, but their main responsibility is to actively engage our visitors to ensure that they have an outstanding experience while on grounds. Our JVs work with adult volunteers to accomplish this by welcoming visitors to the Museum and answering their questions, helping them structure their visit, and providing logistical information (where to eat, location of the restrooms, etc.). Successful VS Team JVs are outgoing, well groomed, patient, and motivated to share our maritime heritage with others. In addition, they are not afraid to take initiative, especially in the area of seeking answers to questions they don’t know. VS Team JVs work in a number of locations, including:
Hours: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., or 1:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Available Days: Monday through Friday
Start Date– June 17th, 2023
End Date – can be as late as August 21, 2023
75 Greenmanville Ave
Mystic, CT 06355
860-572-0711
info@mysticseaport.org
Copyright © 2021 Mystic Seaport Museum
75 Greenmanville Ave
Mystic, CT 06355
860-572-0711