Over the past 12 years, the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum Junior Docent Program has worked with hundreds of local teens to ignite curiosity for visitors. Students entering 9th through 12th grade with an interest in education, local history, and museums were invited to apply for the 2023 Junior Docent class. After receiving nearly 30 applications, the Museum’s Program’s staff had the challenging task of narrowing down to just 10 students. The task proved so challenging that we ultimately chose 11 students.
The 2023 Junior Docent class included students from school districts 2, 3, 11, and 20. The class also included students who are homeschooled, participate in online school, and attend charter schools. We were thrilled to work with students entering 9th, 11th, and 12th grade. Two of the students had participated in the Junior Docent program previously. Each student, representing many different lived experiences, brought something extremely special to this summer’s program.
Through a three-day training program, we helped participants to develop important communication, interpretive, and leadership skills. Students had an opportunity to explore their strengths and interests and find meaningful connections to local history. Over the course of the week, Junior Docents were trained on four interactive carts throughout museum exhibits. Through a variety of hands-on activities, often featuring artifacts, the carts offered family-friendly ways to engage with local history. Junior Docents presented at the carts for the general public and visiting children’s groups.
In addition, the students also trained to support our two week-long summer camps, to develop content for our social media, and to help with preservation efforts in the museum’s collection. We also saw this week as an opportunity to build relationships among program participants, which is often one of the highlights of the summer.
The Museum staff and visitors were incredibly impressed with the 2023 class of Junior Docents. This group went above and beyond to meet the requirements of the program and to support the Museum in our educational, preservation, and marketing efforts. We were blown away by their level of professionalism and commitment.
Junior Docents were excellent mentors to our summer camp participants. They created fun and innovative social media content. They worked carefully and diligently in collections. They ignited curiosity for visitors of all ages.
One exciting way Junior Docents contributed over the course of the summer was through developing social media content like the featured video above.
The 2023 Junior Docent Program was generously sponsored by D.A. Davidson McCarty, Brown, Eden, Porter & Dockter Wealth Strategies Group, a member of D.A. Davidson & Co.
This summer, due to the generous support of our sponsor, Junior Docents had the opportunity to earn a $300 honorarium for their service.
Meg Yevara, CSPM Program Coordinator
Interested in being a Volunteer at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum? Learn more and apply today.
719.385.5631 | Meg.Yevara@coloradosprings.gov