Junior Keepers and Youth Volunteers
The Sonoma Savanna Junior Keepers and Volunteers will be adding exciting new locations to its programs in January of 2027! Stay tuned for new locations and collaborations for the 2027 Academy! Applications will be available in October 2026.
Grant recently completed the program and sent the Foundation a thank you video!
Will you support teen STEM and Wildlife Conservation Learning?
Program Details
The SSYF Junior Keeper Program is open to qualified young people between the ages of 12 and 16 years old. It’s an opportunity for young people to learn about careers in animal, conservation, and science fields.
In addition to working directly with the animals, SSYF Junior Keepers are involved with keeper duties such as enrichment, learning curriculum related to biology and fire science, and working on public speaking skills when presenting at special conservation day events like Earth Day, World Oceans Day, and fundraisers.
Mission
Inspiring Wildlife Stewards for Life, this program serves as a launch pad for teens interested in wildlife conservation and science fields, providing hands-on experience to exotic mammals, reptiles, and birds from all over the world. SSYF Junior Keepers graduates have moved into roles as professionals in the zoological, veterinary science, and business fields, supporting wildlife conservation and advocacy. The SSYF Junior Keepers program will be expanding to reach more animal species, with plans to include domestic and farm/livestock!
Provides STEM and Conservation learning and much more!
1. Teen Support and Learning. This program seeks to improve the quality learning and developmental experiences, in informal settings, for teens ages twelve through sixteen.
2. Provides Seven Months of Focused Hands-On Enrichment. This program aims to strengthen STEM, biology, and wildlife/natural resources learning with fully integrated age-appropriate projects.
3. Enhances social, emotional, and cognitive learning to support groundwork for future in-class learning and ignite the interest in wildlife and natural resource conservation.
2024 year in review!
Impacts:
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Teen participants between the ages of 12-16
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2024 Special Projects: Amateur Radio, Field Guides, collaboration with Conservation Fusion in Madagascar, Recycling State Government outreach.
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2023 Special Projects: Endangered Species Projects and Rhinoceros Conservation Project
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Suggested Levels of Support:
$1,500 - Support a Junior Keeper
$500 - Sponsor a Project with Science Supplies
$200 - Provide a day of Enrichment for Animals