Historical Society launches Junior Docent program

FALLBROOK — What’s a “docent?”

Docents are volunteer guides who deliver information on exhibits to visitors to museums and other educational facilities. The Fallbrook Historical Society has a dedicated staff of Senior Docents who meet, greet and treat its museum guests in the lore, legend and history of Fallbrook’s heritage.

The Society is now expanding its volunteer staff with a “Junior Docent” division whose mission is to develop and enhance Fallbrook youth utilization of the reference resources of the Society to provide social volunteer work for college-minded students or those with a specific interest in local history.

A Junior Docent candidate should be high school age and be willing to commit a minimum of four hours of volunteer service at the museum per month. Each Junior Docent will work with the Senior Docent on duty that day. A four-session Junior Docent training program will be held at the Fallbrook Historical Society complex to cover a wide range of topics – including hospitality skills and assistance in museum tours, exhibit design and maintenance and development of graphics and signage – and provide assistance with new acquisitions in terms of cataloging and storage. Each participant who completes his or her service commitment will receive an acknowledgement certificate from the Fallbrook Historical Society and be eligible for the “Junior Historian” commendation, awarded at the end of the school year.

Greg Dehm, Youth Chairman of the Board of Directors, is excited about the new docent corps. “This is a great opportunity to bring our youth into their own history story,” he said. Dehm will hold an informational meeting on Sunday, January 21, at 3:00 p.m. at the Fallbrook Historical Society, located at 260 Rocky Crest in Fallbrook.

Interested candidates are welcome to contact Dehm at [email protected] or the Fallbrook Historical Society directly at (760) 723-4125 for more details.