Programs Internship

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Position Title: Volunteer Programs Intern

Team : Operations

Reports to : Associate Director of Programs

Asylum Access is a leading refugee human rights organization headquartered in Oakland, CA with substantial operations in three countries plus partnerships in additional countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Asylum Access is the only global organization working to make human rights a reality for refugees in first countries of refuge. Our unique combination of five integrated strategies provides grassroots assistance and changes the legal landscape for refugees and their host communities. By helping refugees assert their rights, we are putting power back into their hands. Our work transforms the traditional approach of endless humanitarian handouts to a sustainable solution that gives refugees the tools to provide for themselves and make choices about their own lives.

Asylum Access envisions a world where refugees are seen as people with rights, not just people with needs. Asylum Access believes that by empowering refugees to assert their human rights, we can create effective, lasting solutions for refugees around the world.

Note: No direct legal services are offered by Asylum Access HQ.

Position Description

The Programs Intern will assist in Asylum Access HQ’s efforts to support our operations, focusing particularly on the delivery and management of their programs, with advice, procedural documents, and technical tools. The Programs Intern will also be expected to play a similar role with regard to AAGS projects that are in development or operational during the period of their internship. Through detailed research, a can-do attitude and strong analytics, the Programs Intern supports the provision of high quality services and completion of the organization’s programmatic goals.

Learning Opportunities

• Explore international refugee legal and social contexts
• Research and develop training models for refugee service provision and empowerment
• Develop research and writing on international human rights and refugee practices, law and policies
• Understand the inner-workings of an international human rights organization
• Interact with international staff through cross-border meetings and correspondence
• Develop leadership skills through the creation and coordination of training tools and trainings
• Access to mentorship from international human rights advocates
• Develop cultural competency skills by working with diverse, international teams
• Build an understanding of program development, management and monitoring and evaluation

Sample Potential Projects:

• Develop tools and guidelines to contribute towards an Asylum Access Global Services 'toolbox’ that provides all the tools needed to support project development and implementation
• Research and develop information sheets for AA Mexico clients on claiming asylum in the USA
• Develop guidance and materials for the initial and ongoing training of paralegals working in refugee legal services and community empowerment programs
• Support the updating and enhancement of existing Asylum Access Monitoring and Evaluation procedures and guidelines
• Contribute to the development of comprehensive standard operating procedures to be issued to our operations to support their provision of core legal aid, community outreach and policy advocacy programs
• Develop innovative tools to support the delivery of remote or independent training modules including the use of Moodle or other online learning platforms
• Coordinate inter-operation communication and learning calls where AA teams can discuss best practices, the development of new programs and how to exploit opportunities as they arise
• Propose tools to support the development of a Advocacy plan to support AA Thailand as the Thai Government moves towards the implementation of a national refugee screening mechanism

Preferred Qualifications

• Current enrollment or graduation from development, human rights, legal, international studies or other relevant undergraduate programs
• Experience in developing and delivering training programs and procedural guidelines
• An understanding of rights based and empowerment approaches to service provision
• Experience working with underrepresented, disenfranchised or other marginalized peoples
• Genuine interest in international human rights, immigration or refugee issues
• Strong research, writing and communication skills
• Strong initiative and ability to take ownership of projects, manage multiple deadlines, and work effectively with a high attention to detail
• Experience working with community-based or direct action organizations is a plus
• Experience in the use and design of open source learning tools such as Moodle is an advantage
• Advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Powerpoint and Google Slides
• Basic working knowledge of Gmail, Google Drive, and related tools (Docs, Sheets, etc.)
• The ability to speak fluent Spanish would be an advantage

Hours and Location of Work

Interns are expected to work 20-40 hours per week, depending on the applicant’s availability. The internship can be carried out remotely or the applicant may choose to be based at our Mexico City office . The intern will be required to attend and participate in occasional teleconferences outside of normal working hours.

Compensation

This is a part-time, unpaid internship.

Application Instructions to Candidates

Send your resume, cover letter and a concise writing sample to apply@asylumaccess.org . In your cover letter, please describe your reasons for applying, relevant qualifications, preferred start date, length of service, preferred work location and how you learned about the position.

Applicants will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Applicants in need of accommodation during the interview can contact HR at apply@asylumaccess.org.