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MOHAI Youth Advisors

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!

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!

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. This year’s cohort is currently working on Season 3!

Please check this page in the spring for updates on the 2024 session. Applications for the 2024-2025 MYA Cohort will open in May with a deadline of June 30, 2024.

If you have any questions or accommodation needs throughout the application process, contact the MOHAI Education Department.

What does MYA do?

MYA meets weekly, alternating between in-person meetings and online check-ins. Throughout the year, youth advisors get a behind-the-scenes look at the museum, provide feedback & input on MOHAI projects, and plan events, resources, & 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 events
  • Represent MOHAI in the community and at partner events

Recent MYA projects have included:

Who can participate in MYA?

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 late September through mid-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 $100 per month. Students may alternatively choose to complete the program for community service hours.

How does the application process work?

Applications for MYA will open in May with a deadline of June 30, 2024. 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.

Applicants will be able to submit written or verbal responses to most prompts. The online form also provides the option to “save and continue later” if you need to finish the application at a later date.

If you have any questions or accommodation needs throughout the application process, contact the MOHAI Education Department.

Generous funding for MYA is provided by the following sponsor:

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