Volunteer Family Mentor will provide support to refugee families by ensuring their basic survival skills. This position will assist with practical needs and make referrals to appropriate community resources. Family Mentors provide friendly encouragement as refugees become familiar with American and local customs.

• Assist refugee families with becoming familiar with the local community, including transportation systems, grocery stores and restaurants, libraries, and recreational areas
• Assist refugee families with managing household affairs and errands
• Assist refugee families with any special needs, making sure to coordinate when needed with IRC staff
• Practice English and language skills
• Help in other related areas when needed

• * Reliable, flexible and independent * Willing to learn about cross-cultural communication and ethnic backgrounds of clients * Willing to learn about IRC history, philosophy, global work, and local efforts * Willing to adhere to IRC volunteer and workplace policies * Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in English; additional fluency in a refugee language is preferred but not required * Willingness to learn about the family and interact on a regular basis (6 month commitment )