Through the Urban Roots Teen Docent program, we strive to make all of our visitors feel welcome, particularly students. By seeing and engaging with our docents, we hope that visiting students not only get excited about plants, but that they also learn about careers in botany, science, and education. Our docents help the Conservatory make a greater impact on the immediate community and greater Chicago area by serving as positive role models and ambassadors of our collection for visiting students. So far, the feedback from teachers has been extremely positive!
“The teen docents were very interactive and knowledgeable. I really liked that the docents stopped my group and invited us to learn about a plant. The students really enjoyed it as well.” ~Teacher from Hope Institute
“We interacted with a teen docent and really enjoyed it. The students saw where the vanilla is made on the plant as well as the actual vanilla beans themselves. I love that my students got to see what opportunities they can have as they grow up in the community.” ~Teacher from Sumner Academy