If you are interested in finding a volunteer opportunity which is community-based and focuses on our local environment in the Palos Verdes Peninsula we invite you to discover Los Serenos de Pointe Vicente. The Los Serenos organization was established by the city of Rancho Palos Verdes(RPV) in 1984 to train docents so that they would be able to provide interpretive and educational services within the museum created next to Pointe Vicente lighthouse and the surrounding environs.

In conjunction with the Recreation and Parks Department of RPV, every year a docent coordinator provides a comprehensive training course for potential new docents. Since its initiation, 55 classes have graduated from this program. The course itself commences each year with an informative open house to which all interested persons are invited. High school students may also participate in a Junior docent program which allows them to pursue valuable volunteer work within their community while furthering their studies. At the open house, attendees are given an overview of the organizational goals and extensive resources offered in the training classes. This year‘s Open House will be held on Wednesday, August 31 at 7 pm at the Pointe Vicente Interpretive Center (PVIC) where all in-house training sessions are based. We would like to encourage everyone to join us so that they can see what a wonderful opportunity this presents.

The training class itself is conducted over approximately 16 weeks with meetings taking place each Wednesday afternoon between 12:30 and 3:00pm. During these classes new docents can learn first hand from local experts on diverse topics such as marine mammals, local history and geology. Outdoor excursions are similarly varied while retaining the same focus on the surrounding area including Abalone Cove Shoreline Park, Forrestal Nature Preserve, the Ladera Linda Community Center and the trails along the Palos Verdes Bluffs. Docents will learn how to lead hikes which enhance an understanding of the natural environment.

A wide range of resources are provided for docents, in addition to a well-stocked library within PVIC. During the training course, docents are encouraged to pursue a topic of individual interest and use this knowledge to present a short research paper. Following completion of the training program, a graduation luncheon is hosted in February. This celebration represents one of several social events held at regular intervals throughout the year. Educational field trips organized exclusively for docents represent a further benefit for all Los Serenos volunteers.

After graduating, a well-developed mentor program aims to build on the training course by allowing new docents to participate in museum tours and hikes working alongside more experienced colleagues.

Volunteering in the museum allows docents to extend a personal welcome to visitors who come from all over the world and provide them impromptu tours or simply answer any questions regarding the exhibits. There are also many prearranged museum tours throughout the year, for example PVUSD fourth grade students enjoy a tour around the exhibits to complement in-classroom learning. Any community group is free to request a docent-led tour around the Interpretive Center and these are orientated to reflect the nature of the participants using appropriate resources from the wide range available. Hikes are equally diverse. Monthly free public hikes can be seen on the Los Serenos website (losserenos.org). Other hikes are specifically designed for students which are closely aligned to key aspects of their school curriculum. The fifth grade geology hikes provide an opportunity for all local fifth grade students to see actual geological features and rock types in the field.

A very important goal of the Serenos is to extend access and knowledge of our coastal environment to children from underprivileged backgrounds. In pursuance of this goal, a “Whale of a World” (WOW) program has been created to raise funds and provide free buses so that docents can take Title 1 school students to see the wonders of the ocean, some for the first time.

In addition to providing these essential services, within the docent community there are many small groups of docent‘s which have developed out of particular needs or common interests. The antique whale boat now beautifully displayed on the back patio of PVIC represents the work of one such group having been carefully restored by keen enthusiasts. Within the last two years another small group of docents partnered with keen fabric crafters in the community to produce over 350 gray whale finger puppets which were an integral part of the most recent puppet show. The puppet program was just one of a wealth of exhibits presented at the annual community outreach event known as “Whale of a Day”. At this event many local organizations join with Los Serenos to celebrate our natural and cultural history and the annual migration of the pacific gray whales which we are fortunate enough to observe from the PVIC Terrace.

We hope you will consider joining us on August 31st and we look forward to welcoming you.

For more information, please visit : http://losserenos.org/member.htm#docent

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