Bell Museum

The Bell Museum brings together science, art, and the environment with a unique Minnesota perspective. The museum’s new home on the St. Paul Campus features a digital planetarium, high-tech exhibits, the Bell’s famous wildlife dioramas, outdoor learning experiences, and more.

Volunteers are currently wanted for positions as Gallery Cart Attendant and Docent. These positions contribute to the Bell Museum mission to engage the public in understanding, appreciating, and preserving nature.

The museum is looking for enthusiastic, cheerful, volunteers who are willing to learn. They must be able to work with groups of children, be able to work independently, and have interpersonal and customer service skills.

Gallery Cart Attendant. Multiple activity carts are located throughout the museum to enhance the visitor experience. Volunteers provide information and instruction.

Docent. Volunteers work within the permanent and temporary gallery spaces answering visitor questions and providing a welcoming and engaging environment.

Duties for both positions include creating a positive environment; engaging visitors in interactive activities; assisting visitors with questions and directions; and monitoring assigned area or permanent and temporary galleries for safety and security. 

Requirements for both positions:

1. Volunteer application and screening
2. Orientation
3. Background check
4. Specialized training as needed

Festival of Nations

Would you like to participate in one of the premier multi-cultural events of the year? The Festival of Nations is the longest-running multicultural festival in the Midwest and attracts 50,000 people each year, including nearly 20,000 students. 

The Festival will be celebrating its 87th year May 2–5 at the St. Paul RiverCentre, and the International Institute of Minnesota is now accepting applications for volunteers!

The Festival is not a commercial venture; its purpose is to bring together the whole community for a weekend of singing, dancing, and eating together, on the basic assumption that when Americans, old and new, become acquainted as individuals, prejudices that infect their thinking will drop away and the barriers that separate them will dwindle.  

Volunteers work three- or four-hour shifts staffing booths, helping with setup and teardown, cleaning tables, and greeting visitors. Volunteers receive free admission to the Festival.

If you wish to volunteer for at the Bell Museum or for the Festival of Nations, please contact URVC at [email protected] or 612-625-8016.   

—John Anderson and Marva Sullivan, URVC