North Alabama Zoological Society Offers Volunteer Positions for Students

With the arrival of spring, and soon to be summer, programs for students are opening up such as the North Alabama Zoological Society (NALZS).

NALZS offers students opportunities to participate in activities such as experiments, crafts and volunteering. They have a Volunteer Youth Leadership Training program that will train qualified students entering 10th, 11th and 12th grade to be camp counselors for their biology-based Nature Camps. Christie Woodruff is the Educational Director of NALZS.

“Camp Youth Leaders (CYL’s) are crucial to make our programming work. As a CYL, you will be overseeing individual groups during the day and mentoring young minds as we explore nature, biology and Alabama outdoors,” Woodruff said. 

It is important to NALZS to help high school students learn to advocate for and implement conservation practices in their communities.

“We hope to help high school students gain practical life skills such as public speaking, advocacy, problem solving, and leadership skills through local conservation projects and volunteerism,” Woodruff said. “They will require students to utilize scientific and engineering practices, in addition to applying classroom learning to real world situations.”

NALZS has applied future plans, so that students can continue to make a difference not only in the world as a whole, but locally as well. This Fall they will begin their North Alabama Zoological Society- Junior Zoological Society (JZS) for high school students. 

“Our programs follow the ‘See one, Do one, Teach one’ philosophy.  For example, we will learn about the Local ecosystem, we will explore the local ecosystem and then be prepared to talk about and make a difference in conserving Alabama Biodiversity,” Woodruff said. 

Students interested in the program can visit https://www.nalzs.org/yltraining and register to become a camp youth leader.