The Explainer Program is one of the most exciting programs at the Exploratorium. It focuses on Bay Area youth between the ages of 15 and 20.

The Explainer Program makes students part of the museum staff, giving them the important responsibility of being our primary point of contact with the general public. In keeping with the Exploratorium's philosophy, participants build their own skills while learning to help others. Approximately 2000 students have participated in the program since its inception in 1969, when the Exploratorium first opened to the public. (Job Description - PDF)

Three groups of Explainers fill thirty paid positions each year. Each Explainer group participates in over seventy hours of training conducted by museum staff and visiting professionals. Besides explaining exhibits to the public, the Explainers are responsible for opening and closing the museum, helping maintain exhibits, and interacting with visitors in a variety of ways. Explainers also perform public demonstrations, including cow's eye dissections and other demonstrations such as the DNA extraction.

The Explainer Program provides an interactive social environment, rich in science and the arts, in which students can explore phenomena and learn about themselves and others as they provide the museum with a young, energetic floor staff.

Program Training:
Two to three times a week, Explainers interface with a wide variety of science educators and exhibit builders. Explainers are trained in a variety of subjects and are given a great deal of responsibility for handling complex interactions and museum operations. The training is focused both on science content and exhibit facilitation. As part of museum operations, Explainers also learn how to effectively respond to visitors' needs.

Recruitment and Selection:
The Exploratorium Explainer Program recruits students through a variety of networks, including Bay Area schools, social organizations, and local youth groups. Students worldwide learn about the program through our Web site. Past and present Explainers have promoted the program through an informal but very effective word-of-mouth network among their peers.

Student diversity is one of the great strengths of the program. Candidates for the Explainer Program are not required to be knowledgeable in science. Accepted students come from a variety of cultures, backgrounds, and interests. Explainers are often knowledgeable in the sciences while others may display strong public relations skills. For many students, this work-based learning program is a first-time experience. Learning new skills is par for the course. The program directors look for students who have a spark for learning new things and an urge to work with people.

A key factor in the selection is reviewing where students are in their development and how this experience will make a difference. In selecting a new group of Explainers, the program director’s main focus is to choose individuals who can work together. A great deal of care is taken to achieve a balance of strengths characteristic of each individual so that each student can benefit from the group dynamic. Because of this diverse culture, each group has its own personality.

The Explainer Program welcomes all students within the age range of 15-20, including students that attend alternative schools. To be eligible to apply, students in alternative education programs must intend on attaining a GED or High School Proficiency. The program does not represent itself as a rehabilitation center for high school dropouts, but it has demonstrated time and again its capacity to kindle interest and enthusiasm for learning where normal channels have failed. We conclude that the Explainer experience could have a deep, formative impact on an individual’s personal development.

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