Do you like to sew? Do you like talking about sewing and helping other people learn to sew? Do you want to do something concrete to support & build connection with African communities in the Twin Cities? Then you've gotta come hang out with us. Under One Roof Fiber Arts provides free sewing classes to African immigrants in the Twin Cities. All of our classes are volunteer-run, and we are always looking for more people who want to share their sewing skills while hanging out with a bunch of cool women.
Okay but what does that actually mean?
- We're looking for both Teachers & Teacher's Aides. We aim to have 2-3 volunteers assigned to each class, so we need both people who are comfortable leading a class and people who'd rather assist and help answer student questions.
- Scheduling is as flexible as you need it to be. We've got ongoing classes as well as one-time classes, so you can help out every Weds morning or you can teach a class once a month. We appreciate whatever time you're willing to donate. We just want to make it easy for you to come in and share your knowledge.
- All of our students are African immigrants and most speak English as a second (or third or fourth) language. Some are new arrivals who are still learning the basics. It's okay if you don't have a ton of experience working with ESL students, but you do need to be open to working with people who are different from you and maybe learning new & better ways to communicate across language barriers. Unless you're also an African immigrant, then it probably won't be anything new (and you can totally both be a volunteer and also take a class if there's something that's a new skill for you).
- Really we're just trying to have fun and sew together, so if you've gotten this far, just send a message and let's figure out a way for you to get involved.
