Teenage volunteers (ages 15-18) work alongside museum staff, assisting with summer camps and/or special events; serving as floor hosts in the galleries; helping with children’s craft activities during public programs; or researching for various ongoing projects.

Summer Camp Counselor
TBHC is looking for friendly and responsible high school teens ages 15+ to help with this
year’s History Adventure Camps. Counselors will obtain volunteer hours while working
with small groups of kids in a fun and informal learning environment. Gain experience
working under instructor leadership and with museum staff. Teens must commit to a
full week of volunteering.

Teen Council
Application Deadline for 2018-19: April 27
TBHC Teen Council members create and plan events and programs with other local
teens and museum staff. Along with hosting teen events, members assist museum staff
with public and special TBHC events. Teen Council also teams up with other teen
organizations from local institutions. Teen Council meets twice a month on Wednesday
evenings for an hour and a half. A 3-day orientation session will be held in August for
the 2018-19 year.

Education Volunteer
History-loving teens can volunteer to help with special projects in the Education
Department. These projects can range from helping research for upcoming ventures or
working with staff to create new programming for TBHC. Teen volunteers must be
available at least two weekday afternoons a month.

Proccess:

1. Click on the “How to Apply” tab above to submit your volunteer application. Applications and subsequent correspondence must be completed by the teen applying rather than a parent or guardian.

2. Teens must also submit a recommendation letter from a non-relative adult. Teachers, mentors, employers, etc. are all accepted. Recommendation letters should be sent to Amanda Hoffman, Youth and Family Programs Coordinator, at ahoffman@tampabayhistorycenter.org

Volunteers in the TBHC collections department have the opportunity to assist with the inventory, processing, and cataloging of historical records and artifacts in a “hands on” work environment.  Common tasks include database entry, basic photography, organizing records, research and writing, creation of finding aids, and other specialized duties.  Collections volunteers come from a variety of disciplines including history, anthropology, archaeology, women’s studies, library sciences, American studies and more.  Training is provided and previous archival or library experience is helpful but not required.

We accept new volunteers three times a year (January, May, & September) and volunteers must be available at least one day per week (Monday – Friday) from 10am–1pm or 2-5pm.  There are a limited number of college internships available which are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.  For more information, contact Heather Culligan, Assistant Registrar, at hculligan@tampabayhistorycenter.org.

Special Project Opportunities

There are a number of ongoing specialized projects in the TBHC collections department.  Current needs include those with an interest or experience in:

• Architecture for processing of Tampa area historical blueprints
• Cartography for exhibit development and general research
• Cigar Culture for exhibit development and general research
• Creative Writing for creation of blog content
• Economics/Business for processing historical records such as ledgers
• Editing/Reading for organizing, abstracting, transcribing and indexing old documents
• Fashion for working with historical textiles including a large Native American collection
• Florida Studies for research on a developing exhibit
• Literature for processing books and other media
• Logistics for collections inventory and storage overhaul
• Native American Life for historical research and object processing
• Photography for updating images of old records and processing of Cirkut negatives
• Research for solving identification mysteries
• Technical Writing for updating descriptions of old records

REQUIREMENTS

To join our volunteer team, we ask that you meet the following requirements:

• Be at least 15 years of age. (Teens must submit a letter of recommendation)
• Submit a volunteer application.
• Complete an interview and orientation.
• Pay a one-time enrollment fee of $40, which covers a mandatory criminal background screening. (Camp counselors must instead complete a DCF mandated, fingerprint-required background check for approximately $45.)

After joining the team, volunteers must participate in required training sessions, which vary by department. Once training is completed, volunteers must serve at least 6 hours per month to maintain active status.

BENEFITS

In addition to the personal and social rewards of volunteering, History Center volunteers enjoy numerous benefits including free parking while volunteering, on-going learning opportunities, appreciation events and program discounts.

HOW TO APPLY

Fill out the volunteer application at the link below. After you submit your application, a TBHC staff member will contact you to arrange for an interview.

For general volunteer information and for adult volunteers, contact Nancy Dalence, Curator of Education, at ndalence@tampabayhistorycenter.org or 813-675-8983.

For all teen volunteer and Teen Council information, contact Amanda Hoffman, Youth and Family Programs Coordinator, at ahoffman@tampabayhistorycenter.org, or 813-675-8987.

Volunteer Application | Teen Council Application