Volunteer


Are you interested in becoming a volunteer at Oakland International High School? We would love to work with you! OIHS is looking for three kinds of volunteers:

Volunteer Classroom Assistants:

Overview: Work with a teacher and a group of students in a classroom (English, Math, Science, History, PE, Computers, or Art). All these classes use ESL techniques to build language capacity and deliver content.
Schedule: Hours are flexible and can fit your schedule. Daily school hours 8:20 am -3:30 pm, except Wednesdays 8:20 am -12:30 pm.
Commitment: Willingness to work with an English Language Learner population in a classroom setting; minimum commitment of one class for an entire semester (preferred full-year)
Program Contact: Shahrzad Makaremi, Community School Capacity Builder at OIHS

After School Tutors


Overview: Help staff the after school homework help & ESL tutoring program, run by our partner agency, Refugee Transitions. Nearly 60 students/day come for homework help, English practice & study skill development--as well as for mentoring with caring community adults. More information about the tutoring program can be found here.
Schedule: Available times M, T, Th 3:00-5 pm ; W 1-3:00
Program Contact: Nicole Germanov, Volunteer & Program Coordinator at Refugee Transitions
Minimum Commitment: 1 consistent day/week (ex. every Monday) for an entire semester (strongly preferred for a full year)
Additional Requirements: Refugee Transitions requires additional training programs. The process is detailed here: Become a Volunteer with Refugee Transitions

Home Based Tutors

Overview: OIHS's partner organization, Refugee Transitions, trains, matches & supports volunteers to work one-on-one (or sometimes in pairs) with newly-arrived refugee, asylee & immigrant students in the students' homes. Refugee Transitions works with OIHS to prioritize the most high-need, linguistically & culturally isolated students with a caring adult for academic tutoring, ESL teaching & cultural mentoring.
Schedule: Schedule is flexible, according to availability of tutor, student & the student's family
Program Contact: Nicole Germanov, Volunteer & Program Coordinator at Refugee Transitions
Minimum Commitment: 2-4 hours/week, for a minimum of 9 months
Additional Requirements: Refugee Transitions requires additional training programs. The process is detailed here: Become a Volunteer with Refugee Transitions

Steps to Become a Volunteer at Oakland International!

  1. Complete a Volunteer Application
  2. Attend a training with Refugee Transitions and/or Oakland International
  3. Meet individually with Refugee Transitions/OIHS staff
  4. Provide proof of recent negative TB (we can direct you to free clinics)
  5. Complete your livescan fingerprints

Questions? Contact Shahrzad Makaremi
4521 Webster St. Oakland, CA 94609 | (510) 597-4287 | fax: (510) 597-4292