Weekday Garden Guide Training
Are you fascinated by plants and want to learn more about them?
Do you enjoy interacting with children?
Do you appreciate the botanical world and want to share that enthusiasm with others?
Have you ever wondered how this beautiful garden was created in the middle of Brooklyn?
Then you just might be a candidate for our Weekday Garden Guide training program that starts this fall!
Who are the Weekday Garden Guides?
Garden Guides are specially trained volunteers who support the education programs with tours and hands-on activities for school groups, as well as provide tours for adult visitor groups.
What do Weekday Garden Guides do?
Guides mainly support three children's educational programs—School Workshops, Project Green Reach, and Exploration Tours—by leading tours, directing potting-up activities, and supporting the classroom staff instructor. They also plan and lead 60- to 90-minute tours of seasonal highlights or specific areas of the Garden for adult groups. For more information about BBG's school programs, please visit http://www.bbg.org/edu/teachers/.
What are the qualifications for being a Weekday Garden Guide?
- Commitment to the mission of BBG and the Education Department
- Interest in the environment and enthusiasm about the importance of plants
- Desire to continuously gain new knowledge and share it with others
- Good communication skills; ability to interact with people of all ages and backgrounds
- Flexibility with schedules and last-minute changes, dependability, and punctuality
- Willingness to spend time outdoors in the Garden
What training is needed to become a Weekday Garden Guide?
Enthusiastic and scholarly individuals are invited to attend a 60-plus-hour training program in the fall and winter months (October, November, January, February, March). There are 17 sessions—once a week, generally from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Participants are given the information and direction necessary to impart knowledge about the Garden and support the various school programs; they are also introduced to resources and tools to continue their own learning about the Garden's collections and the world of plants.
The sessions consist of:
- Facts and history of BBG
- Collections, "gardens within the Garden," and trees of BBG
- Education programs at BBG
- Basic botany
- Introduction and access to the Gardener's Resource Center and Science Library
- Presentation and interpretive techniques; learning styles; working with children
- Practice tours and presentations
Additional training:
- Weekly quizzes and assignments
- Separate observations of at least three education programs or tours
- Attendance at the monthly morning "refresher"—classes that offer continuing education, Garden updates, and an opportunity to meet other Garden Guides
- Completion of two "partial tours" and a final tour observed by education staff
- Written final examination
Is there a fee for this training?
- There is no fee for the Garden Guide training at BBG (although many other gardens do charge up to $75 for training materials and lecture fees). Therefore, punctuality and attendance are very important as well as commitment to the Garden Guide program.
What will my responsibilities be once I graduate and become a Weekday Garden Guide?
- One day (two to three hours) each week during the school year to volunteer
- Commitment to two years of volunteer service as a Weekday Garden Guide
- Attendance of monthly continuing-education "refresher" meetings (except during summer months)
- Arrival 30 to 60 minutes early to prepare for the program's lesson and tour
- Notification of the Registration Office of any change in schedule and availability
What are the benefits of being a Weekday Garden Guide?
- Free admission to Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- Monthly "refresher" classes offering timely and interesting topics
- Invitation to the Volunteer Dinner
- Yearly field trip
- Free classes after 50 hours of service (space permitting; materials fees not waived)
- Access to the staff and resources of one of the most prestigious botanic gardens in North America
- Notebook containing information about BBG
Brooklyn Botanic Garden has been committed to hands-on environmental education since 1914 and to teaching the importance of plants. Weekday Garden Guides are a great support of this mission of education and also serve as "ambassadors" of Brooklyn Botanic Garden to the visiting public.
This partnership is a joint investment of your time, commitment, and enthusiasm with BBG's rich resources and experienced staff. It is also a wonderful opportunity for self-growth and for nurturing others. Together we can provide thousands of schoolchildren and adults an experience of beauty and knowledge and share our fondness for this special place—Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Please join us!
Visit the BBG volunteer page for an online application or contact Lou Cesario, Director of Visitor Services and Volunteers, at 718-623-7261 or louiscesario@bbg.org.