Volunteer Opportunity: Apply to be a Volunteer Educator at Oregon Historical Society

Create a sense of belonging and curate a passion for history as an OHS Volunteer Educator!

Volunteer Educators provide tours to school groups through OHS’s permanent exhibition, Experience Oregon. Help enhance school curriculum and support state standards through facilitating personal interactions between students and historical objects and images in our exhibitions. Applications are due Monday, Jan. 29, 2024.

Apply to be a Volunteer Educator here.

Who Should Volunteer?

Prospective Volunteer Educators should have an interest in learning about Oregon history; be excited to work with audiences of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities; and be comfortable with technology and public speaking. No prior experience is required. We invite anyone enthusiastic about the power of storytelling and history to provide this unique form of service to OHS visitors.

We are also looking for people with specific knowledge and skills to engage diverse Oregon school populations:

• Spanish-speaking applicants are invited to enrich the experiences of ESL and Spanish-language students.
• Applicants who are skilled in working with individuals with disabilities, including learning, cognitive, or physical ones, are encouraged to apply, especially those who self-identify as belonging to these communities.
• Guides who are from diverse communities are needed to enhance students’ sense of belonging.

Training

All volunteer trainees at OHS participate in extensive training with the Museum Educator before becoming active-touring Volunteer Educators. The ongoing, monthly training courses cover OHS collections featured in the Experience Oregon exhibition; Oregon history; history and education theory and practices; and touring techniques for engaging visitors. Trainings prepare volunteers to develop and lead standards-aligned tours for school and adult groups. The class formats include a mixture of lectures, at-home assignments, tour practices, visits from content experts, and mentoring by active Volunteer Educators.