Area teens work as interns at Peabody

The Harvard Museum of Natural History (HMNH) and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology welcomed the Kush Club Summer Program on Tuesday, July 10. A youth organization established in 1989, the Kush Club is dedicated to studying and promoting public awareness about the history, culture, and artistic achievements of Africa in antiquity.

In a collaborative effort with the HMNH and Peabody Education Program, the Kush Club will employ four teenage interns from Boston’s inner-city neighborhoods as peer tour guides in the museum galleries. The teens will interpret and introduce the special exhibition “Heads & Tales: Adornments from Africa,” at the Peabody Museum to scheduled inner-city youth from day camps, summer school groups, and community programs.

Under the supervision of the club’s program director, Theresa India Young, the teens will meet every Tuesday and Thursday at the Peabody Museum for seven weeks. Each teen will study and interpret information about the exhibition and conduct preregistered tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Kush Club Summer Program is designed to empower the viewer – with the focus on what the youth audience brings to the museum. The Kush Club teens will also be encouraged to learn more about the museum collections and the museum infrastructure. The Summer Program 2001 grew from the Kush Club’s ongoing collaboration with local museums, academic institutions, and community organizations.

For more information about the Kush Club, call (617) 421-0095. To contact HMNH, call (617) 495-3045.