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21 people are interested
Phoenix Volunteer Child Advocate Training - Fall 2024
ORGANIZATION: Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights - Phoenix
Please visit the new page to apply.
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21 people are interested
Bring hope to their journey of a thousand miles. Get trained to become a Child Advocate for an unaccompanied immigrant child.
The Young Center is recruiting volunteers to serve as Child Advocates for unaccompanied immigrant children who are currently in immigration detention. The role of the Child Advocate is to meet with the child for one hour, once per week, and to slowly learn about them and their lives through casual, play-based interactions. A Volunteer Child Advocate will work alongside a Young Center staff member who will provide support and guidance, as the Young Center staff member communicates with other decision makers and stakeholders to ensure the child's wishes, safety, and unique identity are taken into consideration.
To become a volunteer, folks must be at least 21 years old, bilingual in Spanish, French, Wolof, Arabic, Punjabi, or Mayan and other indigenous languages from Central America (e.g., Mam, K’iche, K’ekchi, K’anjob’al, Chuj and Acateco). Volunteers must also submit required background clearances before meeting with children, and complete a full 2-day in-person training. We welcome folks from all different cultures, professions, races, ethnicities, and social backgrounds to volunteer with us. You do not have to have a specific professional background or an understanding of immigration law to become a volunteer.
More opportunities with Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights - Phoenix
No additional volunteer opportunities at this time.
About Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights - Phoenix
Location:
3800 N Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85012, US
Mission Statement
The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights is a national organization that began in 2004 to directly support and advocate for the best interests of unaccompanied immigrant children who are currently in federal custody. These are children who came to the U.S. alone or were separated from family. As an organization, we consider a child’s expressed wishes, safety, and rights to family integrity, liberty, development, and to maintain their own identity as the key factors in their best interests. Over the past nearly twenty years, our team of attorneys, social workers, advocates, and volunteers has been working tirelessly to support immigrant children who either came to the United States alone or were separated from their families and are now navigating our country’s complex immigration system on their own. We have 8 offices across the country, including in Arizona, California, Texas, Illinois, New York, and Washington D.C.
Description
The Young Center advocates for the rights, safety and best interests for unaccompanied children through a multidisciplinary approach, which includes our policy-related work in pushing federal lawmakers to adopt policies that truly protect the rights of immigrant children and our direct service work.
Through our national Child Advocate Program, we have trained hundreds of volunteers across the country to become Child Advocates and work directly with some of the most vulnerable immigrant children in government custody. When someone becomes a volunteer Child Advocate with us, they get assigned to a specific child who is typically located in the city where they live and then they get to meet with that child once every week, usually for about an hour, to learn their stories, accompany and support them, and help advocate for their rights, safety, and well-being alongside our staff social workers and attorneys.
CAUSE AREAS
WHEN
WHERE
North Central AvenuePhoenix, AZ 85012
DATE POSTED
July 2, 2024
SKILLS
- Child Advocacy
- Immigration Law
- Bilingual
- French
- Spanish
GOOD FOR
- People 55+
REQUIREMENTS
- Background Check
- Must be at least 21
- Orientation or Training
- When matched with a child, volunteers will visit with the child for one hour, once per week. Visit frequency may decrease due to child's wishes. Volunteers can also accompany the child to court to act as an additional support for the child.
- Must attend the 2 day in-person training on Sept 7 and Sept 8, submit to an FBI background check via fingerprint clearance card, have 2 or more positive references, show proof of a negative TB test, and submit COVID-19 vaccination card.