Our Discovery Guide program for rising 6th-8th graders is designed for those students who are civic minded and interested in how our environment and history are connected.
You’ll meet students from across the region and together you will explore the connections between our past and the planet’s future. You will learn and share how historical decisions have an impact on the environment today through engaging actives and conversation. This is a great way for emerging community leaders to get experience interacting with the public and demonstrating something that you’re excited about.
The Discovery Guide program will have sessions at both Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.
For more information, please reach out to us at volunteer@jyf.virginia.gov.
Application details
Please submit your application by May 7, 2026.
Training Sessions
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June 15 - 18 at Jamestown Settlement, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
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June 22 – 25 at American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
You’re required to complete four half-day training sessions. During each training session, you will spend time learning information that you will share with museum guests and ways you can talk to them and get them interested in participating.
Volunteer Shifts
After you’ve completed training, you can begin signing up to volunteer and share what you have learned on designated program days.
Teen volunteer programs offer the opportunity to not only learn history but how to share it with others. Volunteers learn how to teach, engage with the community and become an advocate for themselves and others. Rising 8th–11th graders will meet teens from across the region and together you'll create a great museum experience for your peers and visitors from all over the world. These programs also are a great space for creativity, inclusivity, fun and confidence building. Teen volunteer opportunities include:
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Junior Gallery Guides engage visitors in our museums’ indoor galleries.
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Junior Historical Interpreters engage visitors in our outdoor living-history areas.
For more information, please contact volunteer@jyf.virginia.gov.
Application details
Please submit your application by Friday, May 7, 2026.
Orientation • Saturday, May 16, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Volunteers are required to attend a one-day orientation, which includes tours of the galleries and outdoor living-history areas at Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. The program includes an overview of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation (JYF), the organization that administers the museums, and learn about the roles and responsibilities of a Junior Gallery Guide and Junior Historical Interpreter. At the end of orientation, you'll have an opportunity to choose the museum where you would like to volunteer and which role interests you the most.
Training Sessions • Week of June 15, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
You are required to complete five full-day training sessions. During each training session, you will spend half the day with a mentor in the specific location where you will be volunteering and half the day in a classroom learning historical content and some of the best ways to engage with museum visitors.
Volunteer Shifts • Starting Monday, June 22
After completing the volunteer training program, you’ll be able to schedule yourself for volunteer shifts. We will continue to provide training and mentoring to help you grow content knowledge and approaches for engaging museum visitors.
Volunteers are required to work for a minimum of eight hours a month during the summer. If you want to continue as a core volunteer, you’ll need to volunteer four hours a month during the school year.
Professional Development Days • Sunday, August 17 – Saturday, August 21
During this week, you can learn about resume writing, completing job applications and writing cover letters. You also can participate in mock interviews.
