We are always looking for volunteers to assist with our programs! If you are interested in becoming a volunteer Nature Interpreter, please read the following description and complete the volunteer registration form.

For current volunteer opportunities with our board, the High Park Initiatives, click here.

Volunteer Nature Interpreter Job Description

• Reporting to the Nature Centre Coordinator and the Nature Interpretation staff, volunteer nature interpreters will assist with the daily operations of the High Park Nature Centre.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 6 months experience working with children in an education capacity.

Responsibilities:

• Assisting with the delivery of outdoor nature interpretation programs and activities for school groups, summer camp participants, families, day care centres and community centres, etc.
• Preparing to teach portions of programs and/or assisting children on a one-on-one basis
• Maintaining the cleanliness of the Nature Centre on a daily basis
• General animal care duties (feeding, handling)
• Helping to prepare displays, posters and program activity materials
• Assisting with the supervision of children on hikes, etc
• Communicating well and working as a team with staff and fellow volunteers
• Signing in and out each day on the appropriate forms

During your volunteer placement, Nature Centre staff will:

• Provide positive encouragement and ongoing feedback
• Check in regularly to see how things are going
• Evaluate your performance throughout the placement

Time Commitment:

• We ask our volunteers to agree to a minimum time commitment of 3 hours per week on a season by season basis

All volunteers will be required to:

• Fill out a volunteer application form and supply a copy of their resume
• Sign a volunteer agreement
• Undergo a police record check
• Observe a minimum of 2 programs before beginning to teach (you can feel free to assist participants one-on-one while observing)

Reference Letters

• We are happy to provide reference letters and verbal references for our volunteers. To be eligible for a reference, you must complete a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer work and be engaged in teaching and assisting in programming. You must also fill out a self-evaluation form and ask for the coordinator to complete a performance evaluation to form the basis for your reference.
• NOTE: We encourage our volunteers to share their talents and interests with our participants! If you are a musician or an artist and would like to lead a program, please let us know! If you are a photographer and would like to take pictures during our programs, let us know – we are always looking for great photos to help document our programs!