Education
Take flight with Tracy Aviary’s Education Department! Volunteer Educators at Tracy Aviary spend their time face-to-face with the public, sharing their passion for birds and nature through striking up lively conversations, leading event activities, and guiding safe and creative nature play.
About the Education Department: Tracy Aviary’s Education Department has at its core four passionate, knowledgeable, and relationship-oriented educators. We are committed to the wellbeing of birds, nature, and all of our human and more-than-human relatives in our community. Through community engagement, experiential learning, and other environmental education best practices, we seek to inspire love for and commitment to conservation in the people we meet.
Time commitment: 8hr/month March-August, 4hr/month September-February. You will submit a monthly schedule to the Education Manager at the end of the preceding month.
Location: Mainly Tracy Aviary at Liberty Park, but sometimes occurring at the Nature Center at Pia Okwai or offsite locations. Carpooling in Aviary vehicles is available for travel to offsite locations. Some work may be completed from home.
Management: Volunteers will report to the Volunteer Coordinator, with daily support from the Education Manager.
Primary Duties:
- Visitor Guide: Engage guests in forming personal connections with birds and nature through guiding tours and other educational conversations at Aviary exhibits using the department’s presentation materials, which may include non-human animal remains. Cultural accommodations can be made for this duty.
- Nature Play Guide: Encourage youth to participate in nature play activities at the many play spaces throughout the Aviary and Nature Center. First Aid Certification is a plus for this position.
- Event Assistant: Help educators lead activities during events like field trips, community events, summer camps, and more.
- Office Assistant: Help educators prepare materials for use during classes and community events, organize office files, and other office-oriented duties.
Please note that these positions do not involve any direct contact with living animals.
Special Requirements:
- Ability, with reasonable accommodations, to remain active and move around our 8-acre campus for up to three hours at a time in variable weather conditions, including temperatures up to 99° F.
- Commitment to masking and testing if you know you were exposed to someone with COVID-19 within the last 5-7 days.