Volunteer Opportunities

Summer Archaeology Project

We are excited to announce the 10th season of the Summer Archaeology Project (SAP)!

This summer we will continue our mission to prepare archaeological materials for further research, while training volunteers in basic laboratory procedures and interpretive skills to share history and stewardship messages with the public.

With a twist!

We are focusing on a new time period of California History, with a new assemblage of artifacts. These will be American period representations. Within these contexts from excavations at Santa Clara University, we will be encountering new materials and artifact types. To prepare us, Linda Hylkema & Tiffany Torma have organized a rich syllabus covering a diversity of material types. This reads like a college class, and presents an amazing experience in archaeological skills and knowledge.

We hope you will join us on this new adventure, and look forward to an exciting and rewarding summer.

New Volunteers:

If you are interested in joining us this summer to do some of this critical archeological work, our volunteer form is now live on the State Parks volunteer website, BetterImpact. If this sounds like a project you'd like to join us on, please make an account and fill out the State Parks volunteering form at SAP application and you will mark your primary location as Santa Cruz Mission SHP (no need to mark a secondary location).

Fingerprinting:

All volunteers who deal with the 3 Ks need to be fingerprinted (that’s Keys, Kids, and Kash). While SAP volunteers don’t typically interact with the Ks, we sometimes call upon our volunteers to help host outreach tables or assist at events or cover the park when staff is unavailable, in which case we need folks to have fingerprints on file. It is typically around $30.00. Look for updates in case we can bring him in for a group service on June 17th. (usually a reduced fee) Use linked form.

https://www.santacruzlivescan.com/

2024 Schedule:

Mondays, June 17 - August 19

10:00am - 2:30pm

Total of 9 weeks

Fieldtrip date: TBA

Questions? Contact santacruzmission@ports.ca-us or call the park at 831 425-5849 for more information.

Volunteer at the Santa Cruz Mission

Interested in volunteering at the Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park? Check out the ways you can be involved!

Docent Volunteers

Are you passionate about history, and want to help tell this difficult story? We welcome folks interested in docenting-- leading guided tours and living history demonstrations for adults, and those who want to assist us working with students in our field trips.

Garden Volunteers

Our gardens take work, and luckily we have some wonderful gardeners who help weed, plant, and care for plants franging from native species to those brought by the Spanish. Join the team, and help us care for the stories our gardens have to tell about the people who lived here.

Teen Team

Are you 13-18 years old? Need community service hours for school, or a volunteer project to take on? We welcome enthusiastic teens to join our teen team. Teens help us lead our Junior Ranger programs and Old Fashioned Campfires in the summer. They are also critical in helping with special events that take place throughout the year.

All State Park volunteers will log hours that works towards a free California State Parking pass in the year following their volunteering. Volunteers are required to be fingerprinted.

If you are interested in volunteering with us, let us know by filling out this form.