Apply to be a Michigan Science Center Volunteer Here: http://www.mi-sci.org/join-and-give/donate/volunteer/become-a-volunteer/
Then Join Us for Our Training
Would you possibly be available to join us for our next New Volunteer Orientation/Training: Thursday, May 11 2017 from 5:00-7:00 PM.
This training is mandatory. See details below:
Please arrive on time as there will be a lot to cover. We’ll have some Little Caesars Pizza but please bring your own drink.
Training will include:
- A building tour including where to sign in for volunteering
- An overview of our philosophy and mission and why volunteers are so critical
- Safety, emergency, and rules training
- Spark!Lab training
- Explainer Station training
- Kidstown Training
- Basic Exhibit Floor Explaining and Activity Kit Training
- Walkie Talkie Codes
- Onboarding paperwork
- Access to Volunteer Opportunity Signup Pages
Background Check
If you are over 18 years of age, you must complete our background check form which can be accessed at this link. You may email the completed form to steve.zoski@mi-sci.org as an attachment, bring a printed out, filled out copy to training, or fill out one of our extra copies at the training. There is a $15.00 cost for the background check so please bring a valid credit card to training. This donation is greatly appreciated and helps us reduce the costs to our nonprofit organization. We cannot accept cash or check.
Meeting Location for Volunteer Orientation/Training
And Wait here in the lobby pictured above, under the yellow airplane ^
Steve Zoski, our Manager of Volunteer Services will Meet You:
Parking
There are several parking options but I recommend
Parking at the DIA Cultural Center Lot:
Enter on John R, between Frederick and Farnsworth streets:
Parking is $7.00, payable credit or cash. We will not reimburse it for training but will for every volunteering shift thereafter.
What do Volunteers do?
Volunteering at MiSci Overview
Volunteers at the Michigan Science Center (MiSci) assist us with a wide range of projects and service needs that suit multiple levels of engagement with us and our visitors. These opportunities are designed for a teams of volunteers but also individuals who regularly volunteer. Our volunteers come from a diverse range of backgrounds and some commute several hours to be here.
There are three main areas where our individual Volunteers are found:
- Explainer Station and Exhibits volunteers patrol a versatile area which features a brand new Explainer Station to facilitate activities where volunteers engage guests at scheduled and impromptu times, utilizing a wide-variety of activities and educational content to deliver STEM excitement and provide children and families positive memories to take with them for life. Surrounding exciting exhibits including plasma globes, a Foucault pendulum, and launching Rockets, further enhance visitor experiences.
- Smithsonian Spark!Lab volunteers facilitate inquiry-based discovery using creative methods to inspire and encourage interest in the invention process. Create a vehicle, build a skyscraper, or make something fly in a space where the sky is the limit.
- Kidstown volunteers Foster positive attitudes toward science and build the foundation for more sophisticated learning in our specialized learning area for children ages 5 and under.
Additionally, there are other ways to volunteer:
- Group Volunteering: Various-sized teams of people from companies, schools, and other organizations assist with a wide range of projects both behind-the-scenes and publically alongside visitors. We have a wide-range of events ideal for groups, including our weekly opportunity Featured Fridays where teams of 5 – 20 facilitate STEM activity stations for children and schools visiting our building over the course of approximately four hours. Each activity is simple enough for volunteers to learn upon arrival. Email volunteers@mi-sci.org if you’re interested in bringing your group.
- Office Help: Administrative assistance volunteers help with a wide range of behind-the-scenes projects in areas such as accounting, data entry, photocopying, and research.
- Special Skills: If you have a unique skill such as exhibit design, exhibit repair, gardening, carpentry, or IT, please let us know in your application and we will find a role right for you.
The Benefits of Volunteering at MiSci:
- Impacting and inspiring children and families
- Professional work experience
- Awards Pins and Wall of Names Recognition in our Donor Gallery for those who volunteer 50 plus hours in a calendar year
- Volunteers who do 50 hours in a year earn a Family Membership to MiSci and a basic admission to all ASTC Science Centers in the United States.
- One Volunteer each month is chosen as Volunteer of the Month, earns a prime parking spot, and has an article about them featured on our webpage and social media accounts.
- Traveling Science Program
- Special Events including our After Dark series
