VOZ

Check out the volunteer job descriptions below to help you complete out volunteer interest form.

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Volunteer Job Descriptions

Classes

ESL –

English classes are taught at the Worker Center Monday through Saturday.
Each of the classes has a particular theme and learning objective,
which are reviewed and changed every four weeks. The curriculum is
flexible, designed to offer both learning progress for returning
students and to meet the learning needs of one-time students. Teachers
don't need to have extensive ESL experience, but some is helpful. We
also hire Teacher Assistants, who aren't responsible for planning
lessons and teaching, but provide integral support in the classroom.
ESL volunteers are encouraged to have some Spanish skills, though this
isn't necessary, and must be able to commit the expected time and energy
to English classes (about 3 - 4 hours per week). Classes usually take
place in the morning or very early afternoon. We are currently accepting
applications and hiring volunteers as needed.

As part of the ESL program, we also have a Drop-In Writing Lab.
The Drop-In Writing Lab is a response to requests from day laborers for
more reading and writing within the classroom. The Lab would provide a
space for day laborers to stop by and have their reading and writing
needs met, from filling out job applications to deciphering signs in
store windows to writing articles for the Voz newsletter. The Drop-In
Writing Lab would function differently from the ESL classes in that
students could go and come as they please and the activities would
cater to the specific questions of whoever stopped by. In this way,
the Lab could reach out to and provide resources for day laborers
across a wide spectrum of skill levels and tackle the difficulty of
teaching literacy to a group with inconsistent attendance and vastly
varying educational backgrounds. The Lab would be open on a very
regular basis two to three times a week for two hours in the afternoon.
One or two teachers would organize the space, encouraging day laborers
to come by with questions or facilitating simple group activities such
as practicing penmanship or brainstorming and beginning newsletter
articles. The Drop-In Writing Lab would provide a welcoming and
laid-back environment for students of all levels to empower themselves
through reading and writing.

Art – Art classes are held Fridays at 12pm at the MLK Jr. Worker Center.
We are also exploring the idea of art therapy, so if you have connections or
experience with any of these areas, come volunteer!
We need volunteers for:

• helping solicit donations of art supplies
• teaching classes on different artistic techniques
• working with the day laborers to plan and implement more art shows

Computer – Computer skills are an essential aspect of living in our technology savvy world. These classes are held Mondays 1:00pm - 3:00 pm at the VOZ Office, and we are looking to expand these to two or three days a week. VOZ is interested in volunteers who will:

• help develop level-appropriate curriculum
• prepare daily lesson plans
• teach the classes
• help to recruit new students by advertising at the day labor center and the corners
• good computer skills and moderate knowledge of Spanish are a bonus!

Music – Music classes are held every Thursday from 10am to 12pm at the Day Labor Center. Any an all musical volunteers are welcome to come jam, and teach different types of music during this class time.

Fund Raising Committee

Join our fundraising committee to make a difference in what our entire organization is able to do! As a volunteer in this group you’ll get the opportunity to:

• work closely with other volunteers
• plan and organize events to raise funds
• set up informational house parties
• help us contact foundations for donations
• aid us with the search for possible donors, make personal visits to current donors, and update donors on the current work VOZ is doing
• participate in phone banks

Grant Writing

Especially in these hard economic times, grant writing is an essential part of being a non-profit organization. As a member of this group, volunteers will:

• help us look for possible foundations or organizations that would complement our goals
• explain our work to those groups and write Agreement Proposals for each foundation
• possibly writing reports, attend training workshops about grant writing, do follow-up work with the foundations

Cultural and Mobilizing Events

VOZ sponsors many diverse cultural and mobilization events throughout the year and these could not happen without the great work done by volunteers. We volunteer help with:

• creative planning for long term projects
• last minute arrangements or one-time event assistance
• mapping out the event schedule
• making and distributing fliers
• presenting educational or political information about VOZ and its mission
• buying snacks
• bringing a sound system (if necessary)
• asking the city or neighbors for permission (if necessary)
• contacting the press to attend the event (if necessary)

Wage Claims and Legal Action Committee

An important sector of VOZ’s work, volunteering with the Wage Claims group will bring visible benefits to the Day Labor community. Tasks may include

• collecting information from the employer and investigating (if necessary)
• calling the employer to ask him/her why they have not paid
• securing a time and place for them to pay the day laborer
• accompanying the day laborer and speaking with the employer
• writing letters to employers about wage losses
• filling out the VOZ and BOLI forms
• going with the day laborer to Court (if necessary)
• seeing the case through to the end
• teaching the day laborer how to use the booklet.

“El Jornalero” Newsletter

Published several times a year, El Jornalero is an important resource for both the day laborers themselves and members of the community who are interested in becoming involved with VOZ. We need volunteers who are bilingual, have skills with Illustrator or InDesign, and are interested in the media, to help us with:

• newspaper lay-out and design
• selecting and scanning photos
• collecting or writing articles
• compiling the newsletter
• getting it published and distributed

Futbol

The day laborers have a soccer team! Practices are currently from 5:00pm to 7:00pm on Friday nights.Volunteers with this group would help:

• organize team trainings and games
• coordinate meetings with other teams
• look for more teams with whom the VOZ team can play against or practice with
• organize fields for all these activities
• make ready the uniforms, water, snacks and medicine for games
• make and distribute fliers for soccer events

Theatre

Dramatic expression is one of the most difficult, but rewarding, modes of cultural expression. At VOZ we have a theatre group that works closely with the Miracle Theatre Group, and we are looking for a couple of volunteers who would like to help out with:

• developing short scenes with the day laborers
• organizing venues to present the scenes to the greater Portland community
• working on community education projects using the theatre group:

Translation and Interpretation

While most of this work centers on El Jornalero newspaper, we also translate educational material and community outreach information. If you are bilingual and interested in volunteering on your own schedule, from your own home or the VOZ office, please contact us.

Office Support

General office help is always appreciated. In fact, after one month of outstanding volunteer work with VOZ we require all our volunteers to put in at least an hour of office work. These tasks can include: photocopying, data entry, and organizational tasks. This work is important both at the VOZ office and at the Day Labor Center, so chose your location and get started.

Worker Center Support

At our day labor hire site we host a number of class that need staffing, but we have other volunteer opportunities as well. If you are interested in improving your Spanish, work with day laborers to distribute fliers in the neighborhood or work one on one with laborers to develop resumes and fill out job applications. The day laborers are also developing a on-site store and are interested in starting a tool library. If you are interested in developing these projects or have connections with organizations that could help, volunteer here.

Anything Else?

If you have additional talents you can bring to VOZ, let us know!

To set up a time to come in and help with any of the above, please fill out our online application form and we will contact you. You can also call us at 503-233-6787.

Thank you. We appreciate your help!