April is National Volunteer Month, and we just want to take some time to celebrate and recognize the wonderful network of volunteers that so willingly donate their time to Thinkery.
Group Volunteers come from local university organizations, corporate teams, and community groups, and these groups help us with anything from prepping materials for an event or activity to providing event support. Last year, Group Volunteers brought 1,457 total participants who provided more than 6,100 hours of service.
Thinkery also hosted 147 individual volunteers last year, who combined to provide 1,684 hours in the museum. Our individual volunteers serve in many ways, such as administrative support, material prep, event support, activity support in our galleries and more!
In addition to Thinkery’s large network of supportive adult volunteers, it also has robust Teen Programs that lets teens from around the Austin area serve their community. Our VolunTeen program offers 60 hours of personal and professional development to 13-18 year-olds, who then give back 40 hours of their time to the museum. Last year, our 208 VolunTeens served 8,880 hours.
To support our Summer Camp, Thinkery has a Counselor-in-Training program (CIT), with teens working specifically in Thinkery Camps to support the Educators. Last summer, 30 CITs volunteered to serve nearly 2,200 hours over the course of 11 weeks.
Finally, Thinkery’s internship program brings new and exciting perspectives to the museum’s work, while helping interns develop valuable professional skills to help them reach their career goals. Last year, Thinkery hosted 23 interns that provided 3,300 hours of support.
Thanks to our fabulous volunteers that choose to volunteer with us, Thinkery is able to carry out our mission to create innovative learning experiences that equip and inspire the next generation of creative problem solvers. Huge thanks to all of our volunteers, interns, and CITs for the incredibly valuable and important work that you do!