Eco-Ed volunteer and students

Introduce young people to the wonder of birds and nature as a volunteer with our Eco-Education program!

We’re holding a training session on Wednesday, August 25 in preparation for the 2021-22 school year. Under the leadership of our Youth Education Manager Clay Anderson, accompany elementary school classes on field trips in San Francisco, Oakland, or Richmond.

Eco-Ed volunteer and students
Eco-Ed volunteer and students from 2019, before the Covid pandemic. Photo by Katherine briccetti.

This is a great volunteer opportunity if you need a flexible schedule because of travel or work. What’s needed: Commit to accompany at least one field trip each month between October-December and March-May. Choose days and locations that work for your schedule; trips last from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

You do NOT need to be an expert birder. You DO need a love of nature, a willingness to get down in the dirt helping kids plant native plants, and an ability to talk with them on a very basic level about pollution in our natural environment.

For details, email Clay at canderson@goldengatebirdalliance.org. If you’re unable to attend the training on August 25, we can arrange for you to get trained by shadowing an experienced volunteer on a field trip during the year.

Marissa Ortega-Welch with Eco-Ed students / Photo by Pipi Ray Diamond
Eco-Ed students at Point Pinole / Photo by Eva Guralnick


Now recruiting volunteers for the 2019-20 school year!

Join one of our upcoming volunteer trainings led by
our experienced environmental education staff and local celebrity birders!

We’re looking for volunteers who love being outside with kids to help us on our weekday field trips to local parks with 3rd-5th graders in Oakland, Richmond, and San Francisco. No prior experience as a teacher or birder is necessary – just a love of nature and children.

As a volunteer, you would assist us on our school day long field trips. Activities include bird walks, habitat restoration, and nature hikes. Field trip sites include Arrowhead Marsh in Oakland, Point Pinole in Richmond, and Glen Park in San Francisco.

Our award-winning Eco-Education program offers a year-long curriculum with in-class and field trip components to low income public schools around the Bay Area. Come be a part of the fun of connecting young people with nature!

Required:

– a love of working with children, nature, and being outdoors
– a desire to help young people ASK QUESTIONS and be INQUISITIVE about birds and the natural environment
– available at least 1-2 weekdays a month, for the whole school day ( usually from 9 or 10am to 2 or 3pm)
– willingness to travel to our field trip sites in Oakland, Richmond, and/OR San Francisco (carpooling often available)

Helpful but not required:

– physically able to travel about 1-2 miles, sometimes on unpaved and uneven trails (some but not all of our field trip sites have paved, wheelchair accessible trails)
– a love and ability to help students plant native plants
– a desire and ability to lead small groups (5-10 students each) in activities
– fluent in Spanish

For more information, contact Clay at canderson@goldengatebirdalliance.org.

Click here to see what it’s like to go on an Eco-Ed field trip!

Se Necesitan Educadores Ambientales

Trabaje con estudiantes en el programa Eco-Oakland de nuestra organización GGBA. No se requiere experiencia previa. Prevemos 12 horas de entrenamiento para programas en el salón de clase y paseos al aire libre ecológicos.

Usted se compromete a participar en el entrenamiento y participar por lo menos 7 horas al mes con estudiantes de escuelas primarias del Este de Oakland y sus familias en paseos ecológicos y en programas en el salón de clase.

Los estudiantes aprenden sobre la ecología de las aguas y fauna local, con actividades creativas del salón de clase. En paseos al campo, a riachuelos locales, y al parque de Martin Luther King, Jr, litoral regional, los voluntarios trabajan en actividades de mano con los estudiantes, y restauran hábitos de los ríos, los pantanos y el mar, observan pájaros, estudian invertebrados, y examinan la calidad del agua.

Los voluntarios también asisten con los paseos de Eco-Oakland para los estudiantes y sus familias a los sábados al Océano Pacífico. Para muchas familias, éstos son sus primeros viajes al océano. Con estas excursiones altamente populares, los estudiantes y sus familias vienen a entender y apreciar la conexión entre sus vecindades, los ríos, la bahía, y el océano.