What is a WMG Docent?
Docents are Watershed Management Group's volunteer ambassadors, both in the community and at our urban demonstration site, the Living Lab & Learning Center. They fill vital roles that support our mission of developing community-based solutions to ensure the long-term prosperity of people and health of the environment. If you are passionate about restoring our rivers to year-round flow, advocating for water security in the Southwest, and fostering stewardship of our precious water resources, consider being a WMG docent!
What Do Docents Do?
Docents are able to bring their knowledge and expertise to support WMG's mission in ways that are personally meaningful to them. We work with each docent to identify and develop volunteer activities that fit their skill set and interests and meet WMG's needs. These activities can include, but are not limited to: giving tours of our public demonstration site, outreach at community events, assisting with family and neighborhood educational events, data collection and monitoring, rain garden care, Spanish translation, Latinx community engagement, and assisting visitors at our Welcome Center.
What Skills Do Docents Need?
Passion for our mission! Subject matter experience is not necessary. Bilingual English and Spanish speakers are encouraged to apply! We are always looking to expand our educational offerings to a wider audience and you can help us meet that goal by supporting our Spanish communication and outreach. A portion of WMG's staff is bilingual, but there may be times when there are no Spanish speakers available, in which case it will be helpful for applicants to have a working grasp of English as well.
What Do Docents Receive?
WMG docents get to build skills and knowledge in community science, environmental education, environmental justice, Sonoran Desert ecology, water harvesting, and river restoration. Being a docent is also an opportunity to contribute skills you may already have honed through your life's work and can now apply to the grassroots efforts of our organization. Lastly, it is an opportunity to become a member of our vibrant and diverse community here at Watershed Management Group!
Commitment
Apply for the Next Docent Cohort
New docents are brought on in August of each year. You can submit your application at any time and we will follow up with you during our next cohort review period. If you would like to volunteer with WMG in other capacities while you wait for the next docent review period, we would love to have you!
Docent Testimonials
Laurel Pollard, Docent Since 2022
"My favorite part of volunteering with Family Programming at WMG is seeing the kids’ faces light up with excitement and interest when they learn something new at our program. I truly feel at home as a Docent at WMG, I feel like I am making a difference in the lives of people in my community. I have also learned much myself - expanding my knowledge of living hydro-locally and putting many of the teachings into practice."
April Lewis, Docent Since 2022
"Through my experience of being a docent, I have learned so much. While volunteering in our Welcome Center, I have learned about water conservation and the importance of involving the community in conservation actions. The more I experienced this, the more I brought home and shared with my children and grandchildren about the importance of conserving water in the desert. It has become a personal mission of mine to continue to involve my family in these issues and work with WMG to help ensure a sustainable future for them."