TEEN LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
July 29 - August 1, 2025 from 9:00am - 1:30pm

Apply HERE Today!
Priority application deadline 5/15, students will be notified if they have been selected the week of 5/19.
Final application deadline 7/10. All applications applying after 5/15 will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Storrowton’s Teen Leadership Experience invites youth who have completed grades 7-11 to experience 19th century trades in a hands-on setting and receive strengths-based leadership training. This program will show how these trades are still applicable in the 21st century and ways to continue exploring them after the workshops wrap. Students will choose one of three tracks for their experience. All participants will attend the leadership session. All sessions are taught by experienced historical and professional instructors and include the following daily schedule:

9:15am - Arrival (First day must arrive at 9:00am)
9:30am - Program tracks
11:45am - Lunch
12:30pm - Leadership Workshop
1:30pm - Departure

• Cost to attend this program is $150 per person. Scholarships are available for students in which the cost would pose a barrier for participation.
• Teens must bring a lunch. Refrigeration is provided.
• A maximum of 18 participants will be selected (6 for each program track, though we do try to limit the size to 5 per program track).
• A minimum of 9 participants (3 for each program track) is required by mid-June to run the program.
• The blacksmithing and hearth cooking tracks require that participants attend wearing close-toed shoes.
• First Time Applying? Be prepared to upload a reference from a teacher or other non-family mentor, such as a coach, program instructor, camp counselor. You will also submit a brief statement: In 200 words or less please tell us why you're interested in being a part of the Teen Leadership Experience.
• Returning to TLE? Returning teens should still fill out the application, though no reference is required. Teens can participate in the same track no more than two years. You will also submit a brief statement: In 200 words or less, please tell us how your past experience(s) at TLE, either from your 19th century workshops or leadership sessions, has made an impact on your life since completing the program. How do you intend to use these skills moving forward?

Tracks:

Blacksmithing: Basics of the Trade

From cold steel to molten metal, ever wonder what it’s like to hear the ring of the anvil and the pumping of bellows? The Clark Blacksmith Shop offers the perfect setting to learn the history and basics of the trade. The experience starts with an overview of safety, navigating the shop, understanding tools and then diving in to the hands-on experience in front of the fire. Teens will learn from blacksmiths with a variety of design styles and skill levels and by the end of the week will leave knowing how to make hand-forged hooks.

Open Hearth Cooking: From Fire to Table

Have a love for food or baking? Enjoy making your own edible creations? Want to test your skills over an open hearth while learning the history behind New England cooking? The Gilbert Farmhouse provides a home-like setting to create a variety of treats. Teens will learn from an experienced historical cook, starting with an overview of safety, building a proper fire, then getting their hands messy in the kitchen.

Sewing from Needle to Treadle: The Evolution of Dress & Fashion
Dress history and making clothing has been an important part of studying the way people lived. Across the 18^th and 19^th centuries, the rapid changes in clothing tell tales of changing culture, from not only fashion to rights. Storrowton Village is the perfect home for taking a peek into the window of dress history through its large textile collection and seamstresses. Teens will learn from historians and seamstresses the basics of both hand sewing and machine sewing and how fashion evolved in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

EARLY AMERICAN SUMMER DAYS COUNSELOR PROGRAM
Friday, August 1 (New Counselor Training)
Saturday, August 2 & Monday August 4, 2025 (Training)

August 5-8, 2025 (Program)
Apply HERE Today!

Priority application deadline 5/15, students will be notified if they have been selected the week of 5/19.
Final application deadline 7/10. All applications applying after 5/15 will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

EASD Counselor Training teaches teens to be leaders at Storrowton’s summer youth programs, taking place August 5-8, 2025. Teen counselors are volunteers, earning 40 volunteer hours over the course of the program and a small cash stipend. During training, teens learn leadership skills, are trained on managing groups of children and facilitation of program activities. Teens are guided by the museum staff. Counselors are divided between Senior and Junior Counselor positions based on skill, experience and longevity with our programs. Senior Counselors take on a higher level of responsibility for the children and assist with mentoring Junior Counselors. To be a Senior Counselor, teens must have been a Junior Counselor for at least one year.

There is no registration fee for EASD Counselor Training. New counselor applicants will be interviewed for this volunteer position. Returning Counselors applying to Senior Counselor positions will also be interviewed. Parent/Guardian consent is required to participate to ensure teens will have reliable transportation to and from the museum on all days of the training and EASD program.

What is the role of a counselor at EASD?

• EASD counselors have a love for history, helping kids, and having a fun and safe summer experience
• Counselors are volunteers who guide children through activities, historical information, and learning in a hands-on way

What is the time commitment?

• New counselors not participating in Teen Leadership Experience must attend training August 1 from 2pm - 5pm
• All Counselors must attend training August 2 from 9:30am - 3:30pm and August 4 from 9:30am - 2:30pm
• Counselors must be available for all days of the EASD program, August 5-8 from 8:30am - 4pm

What are the requirements to be a first-year counselor?

• Must be 14 years old by July 30
• Must have completed grade 8 or equivalent
• Must complete an application and submit a reference
• Must attend an interview
• Teens attending Teen Leadership Experience receive priority consideration
• Submit this application by 5/15 (priority deadline, applications accepted through 7/10 if spaces remain available)

What is the compensation for this role?

• 40 community service hours toward your school/NHS/service organization requirements
• $200 stipend (after successful completion of the program)

Additional Information

• A maximum of 10 counselors are needed, this number varies year-to-year, returning counselors and previous EASD and Teen Leader participants will have priority consideration.
• All programs require that participants attend wearing close-toed shoes.
• Teens must feel comfortable wearing 19th century costumes during two days of EASD.
• First Time Applying? This is an application like a job, so be prepared to write some information that helps us know about what you've done that qualifies you, like hobbies and interests, no experience required! You will also submit a reference (can be the same one as your TLE reference if also applying). Also, be prepared to write a brief statement: In 200 words or less, please explain why you are interested in becoming an Early American Summer Days counselor.
• Returning to EASD as a Counselor? E-mail Jane at jdugan@TheBigE.com and let her know you'd like to return, no reapplication required!