YOUTH VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY Zoo Guides

YOUTH VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

Zoo Guides

Summer 2022

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (PDZA) delivers many volunteer opportunities for local youth. As Zoo Guides, high

school students have an opportunity to increase and share their knowledge of animals, conservation and the environment

while gaining valuable volunteer experience in a zoo and aquarium setting. We are looking for responsible, dedicated and

enthusiastic teens to volunteer during the summer. If you are interested in volunteering on a less frequent basis during the

school year, additional opportunities may be available after you successfully complete the summer season. Please read the

following descriptions and requirements carefully before submitting your application.

ZOO GUIDES WILL¡­

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Talk with and educate Zoo Guests about our animals, conservation, and environmental issues.

Guide activities in animal exhibit areas to encourage both children and adults to think about their place in the

natural world and the role they can take in its conservation.

Interact with Zoo Guests of all ages in a FUN and EDUCATIONAL setting.

Participate in community science and conservation action projects at PDZA and in the community.

*Please Note: Youth volunteers (including Zoo Guides) DO NOT assist with animal care.*

ELIGIBILITY AND REQUIREMENTS

Zoo Guides must be at least 14 years old by June 27, 2022 and must be high school students, entering 9th ¨C 12th grade

during the 2022-2023 school year (or equivalent if Home School or Running Start student). Applicants must also be able

to attend ALL of the training sessions listed in the following sections.

After careful consideration, Metro Parks has implemented the following directive that combines Governor

Inslee¡¯s school-based requirement with the Park District¡¯s desire to protect children within its own

facilities: Employees, volunteers (including youth volunteers), and vendors who work at school sites or who

regularly come into contact with children under age 12 as a core function of their role with Metro Parks must

show proof of full vaccination to designated agency personnel. Vaccine status will be confirmed before

volunteering can begin. Please note that medical or religious accommodation may be available. Each request for

accommodation will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

APPLICATION

Zoo Guide applications are available at connect/volunteer/high-school-volunteer or by contacting the

Volunteer Office at volunteer@. Returning Zoo Guides will be emailed a separate application. Do not fill out the

application found online if you are a Returning Zoo Guide.

The online application cannot be saved while in progress. Please review the essay and short answer questions at the

end of this document before beginning your application. You will also find a copy of the required reference form at the

end of this document.

To be considered for the position, applicants are required to submit an application with one reference form (from an adult

other than a relative) and attend both a large and a small group interview. Not all applicants will be interviewed or

accepted. Applications must be received by 11:59pm on February 14, 2022.

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Following a review of all applications, selected applicants will be invited to attend one large group interview and one

small group interview. Large group interviews will take place on Saturday, February 26 OR Sunday, February 27 from

1:00-4:00pm. Please indicate your preference of large group interview date on your application. Small group

interviews will be scheduled at the end of the large group interview and will take place in the following weeks. Absence

from either interview without giving the Volunteer Office prior notice of your absence will result in automatic

disqualification from the Zoo Guide application process.

Final team selections will be made in March and all Applicants will be notified no later than March 20, 2022.

TIME REQUIREMENT

Membership in PDZA Zoo Guides requires a significant time commitment not just through the summer, but also during

the last few months of the school year. Zoo Guides are expected to serve a minimum of 83.25 hours between Wednesday,

March 30 and Sunday, August 28. The total number of volunteer hours required from Zoo Guides during the School Year

and the Summer Season are as follows:

School Year (March 30¨C June 17) ¨C 29.25 ¨C 33.25 hours total

Zoo Guides are required to attend 6 sessions of mandatory training totaling 23.25 hours during the months of March May. The exact dates and times of these trainings can be found in the ¡°Training¡± section below.

Zoo Guides will also complete between 2 and 4 hours of online training/homework between March 30 and June 17.

Zoo Guides must also complete 6 hours of mentoring shifts between Saturday, May 7 and Sunday, June 19, 2022. Zoo

Guides are required to attend one mentoring shift in May and one mentoring shift in June. Mentoring shifts are three hours

long and take place on Saturdays and Sundays.

Summer Season (June 27 ¨C August 28) ¨C 57 hours total

Summer volunteer shifts will begin for Zoo Guides on Monday, June 27, 2022 and will end on Sunday, August 28, 2022.

During this 9 week period Zoo Guides are required to work one, 6 hour shift per week for a total of 54 hours. Zoo Guides

will be able to indicate their preference for the day they would like to work and may be asked to work on a weekend day.

Absences are allowed with prior notification to the Volunteer Office. Zoo Guides have the option to work additional shifts

between Monday, August 29 and Monday, September 5, 2022 which marks the official end of the Zoo¡¯s ¡°Summer

Season.¡±

Zoo Guides will also be required to attend a MANDATORY, three-hour, Mid-Season Meeting on Wednesday, July 22,

2022 from 5:30pm ¨C 8:30pm.

Zoo Guides may complete more hours than required upon the approval of the Youth Volunteer Coordinator.

FAMILY MEETING

A MANDATORY meeting for all new Zoo Guides AND their Parents/Guardians is scheduled for Wednesday, March

30, 2022 from 6pm-8pm. This meeting will cover participation expectations and is an opportunity for Parents/Guardians

to have their questions answered and to meet the Youth Volunteer Coordinators. A reminder of this meeting will be given

upon acceptance as a Zoo Guide.

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TRAINING DATES

Mandatory training will take place in March - May. The exact dates and times of training are as follows:

? Wednesday, March 30: 6pm-8pm: Mandatory Family Meeting (Zoo Guide AND a Parent/Guardian)

? Wednesday, April 20: 5:45pm-8:30pm: Interpretation and DEAI training

? Sunday, April 24:

11:00am-5:30pm: Rocky Shores/Tundra training (please bring a sack lunch & afternoon

snack)

? Wednesday, April 27: 5:45pm ¨C 8:30pm: Tidal Touch Zone training

? Sunday, May 1:

11:00am-5:30pm: Red Wolves, Goat Yard, and Nature Play Area training (please bring a

sack lunch & afternoon snack)

? Wednesday, May 4:

5:45pm ¨C 8:30pm

Zoo Guides MUST complete ALL trainings. Trainings will cover all the necessary topics and skills required for a Zoo

Guide to be successful in their position. Absences from mandatory trainings are allowed provided:

? No more than 1 training sessions is missed. No Exceptions.

? The Volunteer Office receives prior notification of the absence.

? A make-up training and/or homework is successfully completed for the session missed.

Please Note: The inability to attend all trainings, provide advanced notice of an absence, or successfully complete an

alternative training as outlined above will result in dismissal from the Zoo Guides.

Zoo Guides must also complete two, 3-hour mentoring shifts that take place in May and June.

ADMINISTRATIVE FEE

The Youth Volunteer Team requires a fee of $40 to cover expenses including, but not limited to: a volunteer shirt,

nametag, training materials, and social activities. Financial aid is available for qualified applicants. Applicants requesting

financial aid assistance will need to submit a PDZA Education Department Financial Aid Application upon acceptance as

a Zoo Guide. The Administrative Fee is due following acceptance as a Zoo Guide. Please DO NOT send your

Administrative Fee or Financial Aid Form with your application.

APPLICATION AVAILABLE ONLINE at connect/volunteer/high-school-volunteer

Or you may contact the Volunteer Office at:

volunteer@ or (253) 404-3687.

APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 11:59pm ON FEBRUARY 14, 2022.

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Supplemental Application Materials

You will find the following short answer questions and essay prompts on the online application. Please review

and begin thinking about your answer before beginning the application.

Short Answer Questions

1) Why are you interested in becoming a member of the Zoo Guides?

2) Do you have any previous volunteer or work experience? If so, where did you volunteer/work and

were your responsibilities?

3) What do you hope to learn and what skills do you hope to develop by becoming a Zoo Guide?

what

4) What do you think is the most interesting thing about you?

5) If you could spend a day doing whatever you wanted without having to worry about time or money, what

would you do?

Essay:

Please use one of the following prompts to write a short essay (between 300-500 words).

1. Many students apply to be a Zoo Guide. Some of these students hope to work with animals and others are

looking for new work experiences. In your essay please tell us how your interest in being a member of the

Zoo Guides relates to your future goals and why you would be an excellent choice for this position.

2. There are many different issues affecting the natural environment today and zoos play an important role in

spreading the word about these issues. As a Zoo Guide you will be helping PDZA reach its goals by

teaching zoo guests about some of these wildlife conservation issues. In your essay, please discuss a

conservation issue that is important to you and why you think people should be made aware of that

particular issue.

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Zoo Guide Reference Form

Volunteer Office

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

5400 N. Pearl St.

Tacoma, WA 98407

volunteer@

_________________________________________________

Applicant¡¯s Name

___________________

Date

__________________________________________________

Evaluator¡¯s Name

The teen named above is applying for a volunteer position with the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium as a Zoo Guide. Zoo Guides

engage our Zoo guests at stations around the Zoo with information and activities about animals. Applicants should be friendly,

responsible and willing to interact with visitors of all ages about

animals, conservation and the environment. Your comments will

aid us in selecting a great group of teens to volunteer this summer and we appreciate your candid responses regarding the candidate.

Please briefly answer the following questions based on your experience with this applicant. If you are a relative of the applicant you

cannot complete this evaluation. Please ask the applicant to invite another adult to complete this form.

Please return this form to the address listed above by February 14, 2022 or to the applicant before January 31st.

If you have any questions, please contact the Volunteer Office at (253) 404-3687.

1) How long have you known this applicant and in what capacity?

2) Would you be willing to place a child, for whom you are responsible, under this individual¡¯s care and

supervision? If no, please explain.

3) In what ways has this applicant proven to be responsible?

4) Why do you think this applicant is qualified and suitable for a volunteer position as a Zoo Guide?

Please complete other side

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