Asian Immigrant Women Advocates (AIWA) is a non-profit, community-based organization that has been providing resources to low-income Asian immigrant women workers for 20 years. AIWA works with women workers employed in the garment, hotel, restaurant, electronics assembly and other low-wage industries in Oakland, San Francisco, and Santa Clara County’s “Silicon Valley”. AIWA seeks to empower women through education, leadership development and collective action, so that they can fight for dignity and justice in their working and living conditions.
AIWA provides rewarding volunteer and internship opportunities for those committed to social and economic justice for low-income Asian immigrant women workers, their families and their communities.
Presently, we have 3 open positions, and they are as follows:
Description:
AIWA’s been working to build power for low-income Asian immigrant women workers and youth through education, leadership development, and collective action campaigns since 1983.
AIWA is seeking dedicated and responsible volunteers for our Work Place Literacy (WPL) classes. WPL classes teach low-income Asian immigrant women survival English skills and political education about the rights they have as workers, immigrants, and women. These accessible classes are co-taught by volunteers and peer teachers who were former students in the WPL classes.
AIWA provides all the materials, curriculum, and support you need to volunteer as a teacher in the WPL program. Volunteer teachers will participate in trainings before the semester begins (popular education, teaching methodology, etc.), as well as regular check-ins and evaluations with staff throughout the semester.
The WPL classes meet once a week for sixteen weeks in two locations: Oakland and San Jose. The fall semester begins in late August and ends in December. The spring semester begins in February and ends in June.
Qualifications:
- Must be committed to social and economic justice for Asian immigrant women.
- Must be able to make a sixteen-week commitment to volunteer either on a Wednesday evening (San Jose) or Sunday morning (Oakland).
- Previous experience in teaching or volunteering preferred but not required.
- Bilingual (Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish) preferred, but not required.
School credit is negotiable. If you are interested in this
opportunity, please click here 
to download the intake form, and then e-mail the form to Volunteer Info or you may call (510) 268-0192.
Description:
AIWA is seeking energetic, motivated and responsible individuals to volunteer to teach our computer classes for low-income Asian immigrant women workers. AIWA offers computer classes (Technology Literacy Classes) in order to demystify the role of technology in our daily lives, and so that immigrant women can learn to use computers to access quality information and communicate with each other. Just like AIWA’s Workplace Literacy Classes, Technology Literacy Classes emphasize computer skills to be used for immigrant women to educate and empower themselves, and ultimately make a difference in improving the quality of their lives. In addition, the uniqueness of AIWA’s classes lies in their accessibility to low-income immigrant women – the classes are bilingual and bicultural and located close to their workplaces and homes.
AIWA is looking for computer teachers who can:
- Explain basic computer terminologies and parts in accessible, easy-to-understand and non-authoritarian manner.
- Teach basic computer skills including typing, word processing, e-mail and using the Internet.
- Incorporate popular education principles into computer curriculum, and encourage discussions about work and other issues that may not be directly computer-related, but relevant to the women’s leadership building and empowerment
Qualifications:
- Must be committed to social and economic justice for Asian immigrant women.
- Must be able to make a twelve-week commitment to volunteer for two hours a week either on a Wednesday evening (San Jose) or Sunday morning (Oakland).
- Previous experience in teaching or volunteering preferred but not required.
- Bilingual (Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, Korean) preferred but not required.
School credit is negotiable. If you are interested in this opportunity, please e-mail Volunteer Info or you may call (510) 268-0192.
ADVANCED COMPUTER WORKSHOP TEACHER
Description:
AIWA is seeking volunteers with extensive knowledge about computers to teach individual computer workshops in San Jose. Workshops will be held twice a month with a different focus for each workshop. The exact focus of each workshop will be determined by the participants, but we anticipate the following topics: cleaning and managing your desktop, advanced functions of Word and PowerPoint, protecting your computer against viruses, basic use of a graphics application (i.e. Photoshop). This class will be comprised of six students who have a solid understanding of basic computer functions and are comfortable using multiple computer applications. Many of the students are currently peer teachers in our basic computer classes. We are seeking volunteers who are interested in volunteering to teach at least one three hour workshop. We can be flexible with our scheduling to accommodate your schedule. The classes will all be held in San Jose in the evening or on the weekend (to be determined).
Qualifications:
- Must be committed to social and economic justice for Asian immigrant women.
- Must be able to commit to teaching one three hour workshop in San Jose.
- Previous experience in teaching or volunteering preferred but not required.
- Bilingual (Korean) preferred but not required.
School credit is negotiable. If you are interested in this opportunity, please e-mail Volunteer Info or you may call (510) 268-0192.