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MOHAI Youth Advisors

#MOHAIteens

MOHAI values teens’ voices! MOHAI Youth Advisors (MYA) is a place for high school students to investigate, explore, and be empowered to create a more teen-friendly museum. At the same time, MYA gives teens access to museum professionals and adult mentors, and helps them connect with their local history. Get involved with Seattle’s cultural and historical community!

Generous program support provided by The Hugh and Jane Ferguson Foundation.

MYA is a powerful way to help guide the museum in what teens want and need. Youth advisors make the museum more welcoming for their peers by finding fun and creative ways to connect teens with MOHAI, and providing input on the development of museum programming and exhibits. MYA is teen-driven; youth advisors work together to choose and build their own projects and activities. MYA also interact with MOHAI staff to learn more about the behind-the-scenes work of a museum and dive deeper into local history. This team of twelve high school students meet regularly from September-June and are offered a monthly stipend.

MYA is also the creative force behind Rainy Day History, an award-winning podcast that explores Seattle’s past as it is mirrored in our city today. Learn more and listen along.

Generous program support provided by The Hugh and Jane Ferguson Foundation.

MYA applications for the 2022-23 school year are now closed and will reopen for the 2023-24 school year in spring 2023. Thank you for your interest.

What does MYA do?

MYA meets twice a month, getting a behind-the-scenes look at the museum, providing feedback & input on MOHAI projects, and planning events & opportunities for teens at the museum.

  • Meet museum and history professionals to learn more about how a museum runs
  • Get sneak peeks and provide feedback on ongoing MOHAI projects
  • Discuss and think creatively about the role of local history in teens’ lives
  • Collaborate with staff, partners, and each other to organize teen events at the museum
  • Represent MOHAI in the community and at partner events

This year’s MYA projects included:

  • Contributing to the Rainy Day History website, including researching, writing, and producing original digital history content—new pieces coming soon!
  • Helping the exhibits team develop an interactive for Perspectives on Place: Photographs From Here exhibit
  • Running the @mohaiteens Instagram account and launching our TikTok account
  • Conducting a peer survey on what teens want from MOHAI
  • Planning a meet-up for youth representatives from other cultural organizations
  • Curating content for MOHAI’s History at Home eNews

Who can participate?

MOHAI Youth Advisors come from neighborhoods and schools across the greater Seattle area, are a mix of returning members and first-time participants, and include students with a variety of interests, skills, ages, and experiences.

MOHAI looks for creative, collaborative, and motivated teens that are passionate about history and community to get involved, connect, and have an impact at the museum. The program lasts from September–June, and applicants must be high school students between the ages of 14–18 at the start of the program.

MOHAI is committed to building a team and an organizational culture that fosters inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility – we encourage students from marginalized backgrounds to apply!

What are the participation expectations?

Regular attendance and active participation in MYA meetings and projects throughout the year (October–June with a September orientation) is required.

In-person meetings are held at the museum twice a month on Thursday evenings, 5–7 pm.

Assignments and projects require an additional, independent time commitment outside of regular meeting hours. These include but are not limited to volunteer shifts, project tasks and check-ins, short reflections, etc. This time commitment depends on your own capacity and schedule and fluctuates throughout the year, but on average MYA participants spend 0-2 hours a week working on projects outside of meeting times.

MYA are also expected to communicate with staff in a timely manner about known absences and catch up on missed work.

Is MYA a paid position?

Yes—each participant receives a monthly stipend of $75 per month. Students may alternatively choose to complete the program for community service hours.

How does the application process work?

MYA applicants are primarily evaluated by their responses to the online application questions, then through a selective phone interview process that takes place during July and August.

MYA applications for the 2022-23 school year are now closed and will reopen for the 2023-24 school year in spring 2023. Thank you for your interest.

Generous support provided by

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