Refugee Youth Program Intern

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The iACT Refugee Youth Program matches adult mentors with teen refugees in Austin. The main goal of mentorship is to help refugee teens graduate from High School (or attain a GED). With the help of two mentors throughout the school year, teen refugees are given additional support for both school work and cultural/social orientation.

In order for the program to succeed, iACT needs interns willing to accompany the mentors to their first visit with their mentee, and to be the mentor's point of contact throughout the school year.

Intern Responsibilities

The Refugee Services Intern is responsible for implementing the mentoring program for refugee youths for an average of 10 to 15 hours a week. Responsibilities include:

1. Assisting in matching mentors with refugee youths
2. Facilitating meetings with the help of language interpreters
3. Organizing a reporting system for mentors to follow
4. Set up, manage, and facilitate a close Facebook group for mentors to communicate
5. Collecting, documenting, and photographing mentor/mentee relationships for iACT communications team
6. Having in person or phone contact with supervisor (Maggie) every week, alternating between phone and in person meetings
7. Organizing and facilitating 2-3 annual meetings with mentors and supervisors, Lu, Maggie, and Gillian

Most of the work needs to be done afternoons, evenings, and some weekends. Interns must be exceptionally organized, be able to work independently, have good people skills, and be capable of flexibility and creativity under changing conditions.

Cultural competency and understanding are necessary. This is an opportunity to work with newly arrived refugees from numerous countries around the world and to make a difference in the lives of teenagers with language and cultural barriers helping them to finish high school as a first step to successful lives.