Interested in Volunteering?
For more information about the different opportunities available to our volunteers, please read the three sections below.
Please note, you must be 18 years of age or older to volunteer, and certain positions require working outdoors, standing for multiple hours, or moving safely over uneven terrain. We are unable to provide courtesy parking to volunteers at this time.
The UCLA Botanical Garden is committed to equal opportunity for all volunteers. We do not discriminate against any volunteer or applicant based on sex, race, color, national origin, age, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic.
Garden Guides & Educators
The Garden Guide training program offers a unique learning experience that combines short lectures, garden walks, individual research, and practice sessions. These sessions provide volunteers with a comprehensive understanding of general botany and the unique plants in the Garden. The program equips each Garden Guide with the skills to develop a personalized tour, instilling confidence in their ability to engage student and adult audiences. Beyond sharing the marvels of plants with the public, Garden Guides can deepen their botanical knowledge through private workshops, lectures, and special events.
The Garden Educator training program is designed to provide a practical, hands-on learning experience. Working directly with K-12 students, our Garden Educators learn to lead age-appropriate tours and conduct hands-on activities, including weaving, botanical illustration, and more! They also receive training in informal education and nature-based play, learning through both observation and practice. Please note that our field trips are on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:45 am to 12:15 pm
Training for both Garden Guide and Garden Educator happens annually in October. If you are interested in becoming a Garden Guide and/or Garden Educator, please contact our education team at fieldtrips@g.ucla.edu.
Volunteer Gardeners
Join us in caring for this extraordinary collection of plants. Volunteer gardeners work alongside garden staff to maintain the Mathias Botanical Garden and participate in a variety of activities, including pruning, raking, weeding, watering, planting, and propagating.
Volunteer gardeners are encouraged to expand their horticultural and botanical knowledge through hands-on training with staff and by attending lectures and events at the Garden. Gardening is therapeutic and offers both mental and physical health benefits. Get to know plants, make new friends, support the Garden, get some exercise, and enjoy this peaceful place.
Prior gardening experience is useful but not required. A minimum commitment of three hours per week is required for volunteer gardeners. We work outdoors and recommend wearing closed-toed shoes, a hat, and sunblock.
Volunteer gardening times are: Monday 8:30-11:30 AM, 1-4 PM / Thursday 8:30-11:30 AM, 1-4 PM / Sunday 1-4 PM
If you are interested in becoming a Volunteer Gardener, please contact our Horticulture Team at: bgstaff@lifesci.ucla.edu
Herbarium Technicians
The Herbarium is an important resource of approximately 150,000 dried and pressed plant specimens with a focus on California and the Western United States, and an expanding interest in similar Mediterranean-climate regions of the world.
Volunteer herbarium technicians work hands-on, exploring the world of plants through our library of dried, pressed specimens. Common volunteer assignments include mounting and databasing specimens, as well as occasional fieldwork.
In addition, volunteers can support a National Science Foundation project by imaging and digitizing the herbarium’s collections, thereby making them accessible to researchers worldwide. Herbarium volunteers must have some computer experience to participate.
If you are interested in being an Herbarium Technician, please contact Herbarium Curator, Dr. Anthony Baniaga: abaniaga@ucla.edu
Internships
The Garden offers unpaid or externally funded internships on a case-by-case basis. Interns are expected to have some background knowledge in the area they would like to pursue and must devote a minimum of 8 hours per week for at least 4 months. We expect higher-level projects to be completed during the internship. Ideally, this is connected to studies you are currently pursuing. UCLA Extension Horticulture & Gardening Program students can typically pursue an internship for credit.
If you are interested in an internship with our Education Team, please contact the Garden’s Manager of Education and Outreach (cochoaclark@ucla.edu) with a letter of intent for a specific project or area you would like to work on.
For those interested in interning with the Herbarium, please contact the Herbarium Curator (abaniaga@ucla.edu) with a letter of intent for a specific project or area you would like to work on.
Past projects have included archival work in the Herbarium, horticultural improvements for a specific collection, and the development of communications materials. You must be over 18 years of age to participate in an internship.
