Description
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is seeking a Resettlement and Youth Casework Intern to support refugees and other eligible humanitarian immigrants with their resettlement in the United States. The intern will work with the resettlement and youth casework teams to provide a range of support services, including coordinating arrival logistics, providing cultural orientation, connecting clients to public school and eligible benefits, and referring them to internal and external providers.
Responsibilities:
- Assist with home set-ups before client arrival, including lifting, moving, unpacking, assembling, and transporting household supplies, furniture, and food.
- Support clients by completing applications for eligible public benefits, Medical insurance, social security cards, and more.
- Orient clients with the local public transit system via conducting bus orientations in the field.
- Refer clients to external services, including English classes and medical screenings.
- Support staff with school-aged youth enrolling in public school, including accessing technology, school lunches, and the school bus.
- Assist staff with delivering orientations to school-aged youth and parents on public school, early childhood options, and applying for childcare scholarships.
- Conduct check-in calls and send messages to clients to determine the status of any unresolved service provision and provide guidance or assistance with the support of the intern supervisor.
- Research and build community resources to fill any gaps in services, as needed.
- Record client interactions and service provision in compliance with funder requirements by inputting data into Microsoft Excel and databases.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn how housing is secured and prepared for newly arriving refugees.
- Gain professional U.S. field-office experience interacting with and supporting refugee clients, including both adults and school-aged youth with supervision.
- Acquire detailed knowledge of the programs and benefits available for clients during their resettlement.
- Learn tracking and reporting requirements per multiple federal and state funders and how capturing this data improves service provision.
Qualifications:
- 22.5 to 37.5 hours per week (3 to 5 full-time days per week) in-person at the IRC office and a four-month commitment.
- Valid driver's license and access to a personal, insured vehicle is preferred.
- Willing and able to transport, lift and move items as needed to set up homes and otherwise support new client arrivals.
- Proficient digital literacy skills (e.g., Microsoft Excel, Outlook, and Word) and the ability to learn new software and tasks.
- Organized and attentive to detail.
- Ability to work independently and multi-task.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills.
- Interest in working in a multi-cultural environment.
- Knowledge of or interest in learning about client benefits and other community resources.
- Fluency in Dari, Pashto, Kiswahili, French, or Spanish is a plus.
Benefits:
- Unpaid internship with potential for per diem reimbursement at the rate of $15/day to offset the costs of food and travel.