Museum Ambassador Program
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Since 1982, the Museum Ambassador Program has been hiring and training low-income high school students in the San Francisco area to work in museums and throughout the community, learning about art themselves and introducing a wide range of audiences to the museum experience. The program expands the teen Ambassadors' view of the world by introducing them to the art of a variety of cultures, including ancient Mesoamerican, Egyptian, Greek and Roman, African, and American Indian. Through this unique and challenging job experience, the students also increase their understanding of museums as resources for learning and develop their leadership, speaking, and teaching skills.

The Museum Ambassadors also perform a critical community role in presenting lively and informative presentations about the museums' collections to the public, both in and outside the galleries. Through a training process that includes lectures, time spent in the museum learning how to look at art, and instruction in public speaking, these high school students develop their own teaching styles, emphasizing what they think is interesting and important about art. They also develop their reasoning skills, which can help them in language arts, sciences, and social sciences, and they learn how to communicate effectively to audiences.

The college-aged interns who closely supervise the Ambassadors make excellent mentors and role models. Being close in age, they understand the teens' experiences and problems while demonstrating a passion for art and learning, and the value of higher education. Many of the Ambassadors are the first in their families to consider higher education, and three-quarters of these teens have gone on to attend college. The impact on their high school careers is evident in evaluations from their teachers, who report that Museum Ambassadors are more responsible, self-confident, outspoken, and involved in the classroom.

During their transformation into Museum Ambassadors, the participating teens learn much about art and culture, as well as skills that can be applied to many aspects of their lives. Their enthusiasm, ideas, youth, and close connection to non-museum visiting audiences help museums attract more diversified visitors and enrich the museum experience.