Education & Programs Intern, First Division Museum
Education & Programs Intern (May - August 2020)
Department: First Division Museum
Reports to: Museum Educator
Location: Wheaton, IL
Compensation: $14-$17/hr.
About the First Division Museum
The First Division Museum is a world class museum dedicated to American military history and specifically the history of the Big Red One, the famed 1st Infantry Division of the U.S. Army. Located on the grounds of Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois, our 38,000 square-foot facility includes 10,000 square feet of interactive and experiential exhibits. The museum has a wide variety of exhibits including life-size dioramas, Virtual Reality, and tanks found in the outdoor military park. The McCormick Research Center, located in the First Division Museum, is home to thousands of books, donated papers, photographs, and oral histories that tell the story of the 1ID.
Opportunity: Education & Programs Intern
The First Division Museum offers a structured, formal internship program that provides exposure to specific departmental activities and museum-wide initiatives. This is an exciting opportunity to gain hands-on experience in multiple facets of a museum including research, giving tours, and helping to run special events and public education programs. We do our best to offer an experience that matches the interests of our interns with the priorities of our team at the museum. Each intern is given a thorough orientation, syllabus, is well supervised, and evaluations are completed by both the student and the supervisor at completion, ensuring a strong learning experience. Our past interns have a strong track record of moving on to successful careers. Ideal candidates have a strong interest in education, museum studies and public programs, and/or military history. This is a part-time position (approx. 24 hours/week) for four months from May through August 2020 that reports to the Museum Educator.
Responsibilities
- Create New Program Content: Each intern will complete a research project that will result in new classroom or program content
- Rewrite history trunk material/descriptions or create new artifact options
- Re-theme a History Alive program or create a new History Connections program
- Pull items from the McCormick Research Center to create research packages for students/teachers about Big Red One veterans from Illinois. These packages can include primary and secondary sources, photos, letters, battle orders, anything pertaining to where the soldier was stationed or the job they did.
- Summer School Tours and Education/Drop-in Programs: Learn to give tours to school groups and others in the summer and help run summer programs, including updating materials and adding games and crafts to programs like Rockets, Girls Make History, History Alive, and History Connections
- Summer Special Events: Assist with at least one major event to learn what it takes to plan and run a multi-department special event like VE Day, Rosie Rally, or McCormick’s Birthday Celebration
- History Trunk Maintenance: Maintain and repair items in the History Trunk
- In-gallery Facilitation: Practice in-gallery facilitation with raid and other gallery programs
Qualifications
- Currently enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate degree program with at least two years of college-level academic experience and coursework in education, history, anthropology, or related field
- Passion for learning and sharing knowledge of military history, and comfort with subject matter that can be challenging and at times disturbing as it deals with war and its consequences
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills and ability to effectively present content in both one-on-one and group situations in an engaging, compelling, energetic manner
- Desire and ability to educate and interact with children and other visitors in large groups and for long periods of time
- Able to lift 30 pounds using proper safety precautions
- Efficient and effective multi-tasking and time management skills
- Detail-oriented, inquisitive, and thoughtful
- Team player, with the ability to work independently when needed
- Demonstrated passion for the Foundation’s values with commitment to deliver results measured against the Foundation’s mission
- Excellent writing and presentation skills, particularly in communication with diverse constituencies in a variety of settings
- Basic computer skills including use of Microsoft Office Suite
- All offers are contingent upon successful completion of a criminal background check and drug screening
Required Application Materials
- Resume: 1-2 pages max.
- Cover Letter
- Writing Sample (Optional): Please submit a lesson plan or program you have created, if possible.