From: "Bonnie Byrd" <bbyrd@wchsm.org> Subject: Re: Volunteer Coordinator & Mentorship Training Date: Wed, 20 Nov 2019 15:30:49 +0000 Message-ID: <BN8PR16MB2899F5B6941175F64432B9D2A3700@BN8PR16MB2899.namprd16.prod.outlook.com>
In a previous life I was a lead interpreter for a crafts & trades departmen
t at a living history site in Ohio. One of our practical answers to the sam
e dilemma was to create internships & youth programs centered on learning t
he specific crafts & trades - or traditional skills - that we demonstrated
onsite. One of the immediate outcomes was that it encouraged/forced us to
write down & document knowledge from the interpreters, volunteers & staff,
otherwise responsible for those skills.
The intern program was offered during the summer, and targeted at local und
ergraduate and older high school students. They committed to a set schedule
, 15 - 30 hours in a week. Each would read/research the trade they were ot
herwise learning for demonstration - reinforcing not only the practical ski
ll but giving them experience researching & translating research into progr
ammatic content. While we had a staff person as the intern coordinator for
interviewing/scheduling etc, the day-to-day interactions were between inter
ns & interpreters.
With the youth programs, we did 1-week summer camps, and taught certain ski
lls each week (cooking/baskets/bricks/pottery/brooms/spinning & weaving), c
ulminating in the campers becoming costumed interpreters/docents on their l
ast day. Some of the skills were necessarily amended for safety - ex. only
adults tending fires or handling hot liquids - and we made sure appropriate
disclosures were provided to parents. We also had a single person act as t
he main counselor Age range for those was 8-12. The camps were also a reven
ue generator for the site.
Both programs did translate into a volunteers who continued year over year;
and to your point re: Volunteer Coordinator, benefited from a single perso
n as the 'lead' to troubleshoot when necessary.
Happy to chat directly too!
Bonnie Byrd
Executive Director
Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum
262.521.2859 x222 (o)
414.286.7577 (c)
www.wchsm.org
________________________________
From: localhistory-request@listserve.uwec.edu < <localhistory-request@listser
ve.uwec.edu> on behalf of Barron County Historical Society <ve.uwec.edu> on behalf of Barron County Historical Society <museum1@chibard
un.net>
Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2019 4:04 PM
To: localhistory@listserve.uwec.edu <localhistory@listserve.uwec.edu>
Subject: Volunteer Coordinator & Mentorship Training
Fellow Museums,
It has become evident to us that we need to address the rapid loss of the a
bility to teach many of the traditional skills that we demonstrate at the P
ioneer Village. We now have a Print Shop without a volunteer who is capabl
e printing. Our soap maker is 92 and only comes for 4 hours, one day a sum
mer. We have two brothers who operate the equipment in our box factory, an
d the youngest brother is in his mid-eighties.
We identified the need to engage a volunteer coordinator and to have a ment
orship program that will focus on passing these skills on. Do any of you h
ave a similar plan in place or experience in this area. We feel that we ne
ed a formal plan, because we have discussed and encouraged this for a long
time, but without a set plan of how to actually get it done, only the very
popular skills are getting passed down (blacksmithing, rug weaving, etc.).
We would also appreciate it if you have a job description for a Volunteer
Coordinator, whether that is a paid or unpaid position. Thank you.
Tamera Schutz, Executive Director
Barron County Historical Society
Pioneer Village Museum
(715)458-2080 office
(715)764-0158 cell