Volunteer Opportunities
We need your help to continue the work of providing quality outdoor science education to the Prescott community. Volunteers go above and beyond to bring enthusiasm, energy, and time to enhance our community. Highlands Center volunteers assist with every facet of the organization from programming to staff support to maintaining our facilities. Volunteers are the foundation of our excellence; we rely heavily on your life skills and time to maintain our sterling reputation and provide a unique and valuable service.
Join Our Team
We believe that everyone has a fundamental need to connect with the natural world. This connection is fostered by the Center through science education based on observation and discovery of the Central Arizona Highlands. Help children and adults discover the wonders of nature and become wise caretakers of the land. If you have a few hours a month or a few days a week to volunteer, we have a variety of volunteer opportunities for you to choose from.
During the past year Highlands Center for Natural History volunteers:
- Logged thousands of hours of volunteer time
- Contributed to fuel reduction efforts and facilities maintenance projects on site
- Had thousands of contacts with individuals through events and programs
- Had thousands of contacts days with children through the Schoolyard Habitat Program
No matter your particular passion there is a way you can help. We need volunteers for events and concerts, facilities and garden maintenance, greeters and nature store hosts, field trip and youth education, family and adult education, administrative assistance and a variety of other roles.
Don’t see a role that fits your skills or interests but would like to volunteer? Give us a call, come talk to us or fill out an application and we’ll discuss how the Highlands Center for Natural History can use your help. We are open to creating volunteer opportunities to fit your talents and experience.
Become a Docent
Field trips for Kindergarten, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Grades
Highlands Center Docents are leaders within our school field trip programs and direct their energy and time towards the children of our community, deepening their efforts to support more futures than just that of our organization.
The field trips run at our Lynx Creek site, which functions as a microcosm of the larger systems in Arizona and the perfect outdoor location for the scientific study of the natural world. Docents incorporate their own passions with the mysteries our natural world, and provide the opportunity to nurture a deep learning experience for children and parents attending our school field trips.
Training
Volunteers transition to docents through a semester training and peer mentor program. During this training volunteers develop an understanding of our local natural history, cultivate techniques to inspire children and enhance their awareness of nature, and join an incredible team. At the completion of training, volunteers graduate as Docents who continue on to lead hands-on outdoor activities and trail explorations during school field trips.
As our community grows, so does the need for the expansion of outdoor experiences -experiences that foster an appreciation for our natural world. The Highlands Center is experiencing increased demand, and increased demand increases our need for a larger docent team. We are looking to our community members who have the interest and passion to join that team. School field trips are only one of many volunteer opportunities that incorporate instruction, exploration, and learning. So if you share our passion in creating opportunities for the development of deep connections for children and adults with the natural world, join us. Together we can continue to educate and cultivate wise caretakers of our land, keeping our environment healthy.
Get Started
Contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Vita Marie Phares, at 928-776-9550 or email vphares@highlandscenter.org.
