Message from our Executive Director - Dreaming of a STEM Summer
It feels like summer already, and the Science Center team has been working all winter to dream up great STEM fun for the upcoming season! From celebrating sharks to celebrating space, there is a lot of fun science happening this summer at the Children's Science Center Lab and in our community outreach programs.
Be sure and check out the calendar of events at the Lab. We have some amazing programs planned, including our annual citizen science project, Shark Month, First Images from the James Webb Space Telescope event, and much more. Stay tuned for more information on these unique opportunities!
Summer is the perfect time for meaningful and fun learning experiences. We're celebrating our STEM-tastic 7th Birthday at the Lab this June, and we're sure this is going to be the best one yet!
Nene Spivy
Summer Internship Applications Closed
The applications for all of our summer internship opportunities are now closed. We are so excited about the many quality applicants we received for every opportunity. If you didn't have a chance to apply this time around, keep an eye out for our Fall internship application in a few months.
Volunteer Policies Update
We have done a slight restructuring of our volunteer program and made a few changes to our volunteer policies, including a new background check policy and a yearly hour requirement for Lab volunteers.
Types of Volunteers
Lab Volunteers
- Must be 16+
- Assist in front-line facilitation with guests (usually in the Tinker Shop or at the Experiment Bar)
- May also work field trips, Lab special events, and community events
- Must commit to 15 volunteer hours in the first year
- Must attend an in-person Volunteer Orientation
- Will undergo a background check if over 18 (see background check policy below)
Support Volunteers
- Must be 13+
- Volunteers aged 13-15 must always be accompanied by an active, engaged adult volunteer
- Can assist in behind-the-scenes Lab preparation and stocking
- May work specially designated events
Background Check Policy
Key Features
- Lab volunteers only
- 18 and over
- Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation covers the cost
- Background check will be renewed yearly as long as volunteer is actively/regularly volunteering
Lab Volunteer First-Year Hour Requirement
Key Features
- Lab volunteers only
- 15 hours in first year
- Volunteer orientation doesn't count toward the 15 hours
- Verify hours at time of yearly background check renewal
- Renew background check if 15 hours completed successfully
- Remove volunteers from Lab volunteers list and no background check renewal if 15 hours not met
If you are interested in reading the full wording of the policies, you can do so here. Feel free to email volunteer@childsci.org with any questions or clarifications about these changes.
Volunteer Orientation Update
We have been working hard over the past few months to update our volunteer policies and documentation. We are just about ready to open volunteer orientations to anyone who is interested, but first we'd like to do a test-run of the orientation with just a few volunteers. We would like to offer interested volunteers the chance to attend an orientation and simultaneously help us improve our volunteer program and training! We would like to hold this test-orientation in May.
If you are interested, please review the changes to our volunteer policies above. This orientation is specific to Lab Volunteers - those volunteers who want to volunteer at the Lab during timed-entry sessions or field trips and want to work directly with children and their families, creating great experiences for them. If this is you, there are a few requirements you must meet:
- You must be at least 16 years old.
- If you are over 18, you will be required to undergo a background check, at our expense.
- You must commit to volunteering with the Children's Science Center for 15 hours in your first year.
If you are not willing or able to meet these requirements, we would still love to have you volunteer in other roles at the Science Center as a Support Volunteer. You can assist in behind-the-scenes preparation and stocking, community events like Family Science Nights, and some special events. If you wish to volunteer in these support roles and not as a Lab volunteer, you do not need to attend an in-person orientation.
If you are willing and able to meet the Lab volunteer requirements and are interested in participating in our test-orientation in May, please email volunteer@childsci.org with your interest and general availability to attend an orientation (weekends, weeknight evenings, etc).
Feel free, also, to email the volunteer team with questions and for more information.
New Galaxy Digital App
There's a brand-new way for you to engage with our volunteer program from your mobile device! Galaxy Digital just released a new app: CauseConnect, a new and easy way to manage your volunteer experience from the palm of your hand. With CauseConnect, you can:
- Log in to our volunteer site from anywhere
- Search and sign-up for volunteering opportunities
- Manage your own volunteer calendar
- Quickly check-in and out of volunteer shifts
- Easily track your volunteer hours in real-time
And it's completely free to use! We're so grateful for the time that you contribute to help us achieve our mission. Click here to download the app and watch a short video on how to use it to volunteer with us. Thank you again for all you do for our organization and our community!
Galaxy Digital Tip
Most blogs include short tips on using our volunteer portal, Galaxy Digital. These will usually be inspired by questions we've received from volunteers. Do you have a Galaxy Digital question? Let us know at volunteer@childsci.org.
Opportunities for Volunteers Ages 13-15
As you know, all volunteers for the Children's Science Center must be at least 13 years old, and we require volunteers between the ages of 13 and 15 to volunteer together with an active, engaged adult. Not all of our volunteer opportunities allow responses from parent/child teams because some volunteer shifts require volunteers to be at least 16. When looking at the available opportunities, you can filter by age to see which opportunities are available to you. We do not always have opportunities for parent/child teams available; however, we sometimes open last-minute shifts to help prep materials for in-Lab experiments and field trips. We send out an email to interested parent/child teams when a prep shift becomes available, so if you are interested in volunteering in this capacity, email volunteer@childsci.org to be added to that list.
