Teens in Cincinnati have an opportunity to work at one of the top zoos in the country. The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, the second oldest zoo in the United States, is a popular Cincinnati attraction. The Zoo provides many ways to spread conservation and connect with the environment, one of which is the ZooTeen program.
This opportunity is for teenagers, ages 13-17, who love both animals and people. It’s a way for teens to build knowledge about animals, gain professional skills and make lifelong friends.
“Before working at the zoo, I didn’t know a lot of people outside of Walnut,” James Overton, ‘25, said. “I made a couple of my best friends I’ve met working at the zoo. There are even people here at Walnut I met working at the zoo that I would consider my best friends.”
ZooTeens can choose between two options: they can volunteer for camps and visitor engagement shifts. During camps, the teens assist counselors in week-long sessions. For visitor engagement shifts, they go around to different exhibits, sharing information with guests.
“The kids are really cute and it’s really fun,” Iyla Kramer, ‘28, said about helping at the camps.
While some teens prefer working with children, others, like Carter Symon, ‘28, find visitor engagement more appealing.
“I like visitor engagement. I’m not a big fan of kids, so the visitor engagement I just find easier to me,” Symon said.
Symon values many aspects of the program as a whole.
“There are so many important skills to learn in this program,” Symon said. “I definitely think it’s important for people our age to get outside during the summer, to get outside of your house and experience this kind of stuff, talk to people, learn these life skills, and it prepares you for the future. [It’s] really good for colleges and future jobs.”
The supervisors of this program make a point of being connected to their ZooTeens as well. A layer of trust and closeness is infused between all members, making the program a generally more inclusive and comfortable experience.
“I think that what we want to try to offer through this program is a place for teenagers to come be in a space where they can be fully themselves and obviously passionate about the environment,” William Grube, the ZooTeen captain, said. “We see it as our job to help facilitate that and give the ZooTeens opportunities to grow and develop skills.”
Some teens join so they can get an animal experience that they need for their future career, but for Grube and other teens, they joined for a sense of belonging.
“It was less about actively getting to work with the animals and more about being a part of the zoo,” Grube said.
Making these connections, realizing that ZooTeens are all similar people with a common interest and providing positive role models within the program help foster a sense of belonging among ZooTeens.
“I just want to be a safe place for them and to be a person that they know, this person is here to help me, this isn’t supposed to be a scary thing,” Grube said.