Guest Services (for ACE's nonprofit events)At — Asian Cultural Experience of Salinas (ACES)
Priority given to Museum Studies students.
If you enjoy working with the public while supporting Asian American history and culture, this may be for you! Asian Cultural Experience (ACE) needs service learners to help with:
- greeting guests,
- conducting surveys, and
- collecting data for several upcoming events.
Upcoming Events:
- Asian Festival (planning meetings are part of this opportunity)
- Pop-up historical/cultural exhibit (place tba).
The position will require that you learn about the history/culture of Salinas Chinatown and may include writing event evaluations and recommendations, and presenting findings to the ACE Board or a committee.
Check out our website (https://www.salinasace.org/) and newsletter (https://acesalinaschinatown.substack.com) for more information about ACE.
25 service learners
Requirements:
- Computer Literacy
- Must be 18 or older
- COVID Vaccinations
There will be in-person and online training on guest services, data collection, and writing evaluations. We will also guide students on preparing exhibit materials (if we hold a pop-up exhibit) and surveys in the ACE office in Salinas Chinatown. Some of the training may be done online.
Students will be supported by several ACE volunteers, Board members, and staff (Program Manager and Content/Grant Writer & Community Advisor). We will check in with students online in meetings regularly.
Bi-weekly check-ins and progress reports. Leading up to the Asian Festival, meetings will be hybrid (in-person/virtual). Meetings and trainings are flexible pending Site Supervisor availability.
SITE LOCATION: There have been incidents of criminal activity at the organization or site(s) within the last year. Or, the location would be described as a high-crime area.
Students can choose whether to come to trainings in ACE's office in Salinas Chinatown--a neighborhood with a large population of unhoused residents, where crime has been a problem--or they may receive training online. The Japanese Buddhist Temple is well-secured and located in Chinatown. Locations for in-person participation (afternoon or early evening), such as the Maya Theater, Filipino Community Center, and Salinas' downtown area (for a possible pop-up) are generally considered safer areas. While being in Chinatown can provide historical and cultural context, students are not required to come into Chinatown; they may receive training online.
SUPERVISION: Students may be required to work at night (after 6pm). Or, students may be supervised less than 50% of the time or the supervisor will be overseeing more than 8 people.
When visiting Chinatown or participating in ACE events in-person, service-learning students will always be accompanied by an adult ACE board member, volunteer, or staff who is aware of security issues and how to deal with them. Students will also have access to emergency phone numbers and local staff who can deal with emergencies.
When in Chinatown, service learning students may encounter many types of people, including City staff, community service workers, police, homeless people and families, and at-risk persons. Students are instructed to be polite and respectful to all persons in the neighborhood. Do not take photographs, since some people living on the streets may feel it is very intrusive.
Contact us at acesalinas2014@gmail.com.
When writing to us, please tell us:
- the title of your course, its focus, your instructor's name.
- what your interests are, and
- why you are interested in this particular opportunity.
Check out our website (https://www.salinasace.org/) and newsletter (https://acesalinaschinatown.substack.com).