VOLUNTEER And INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
IMMIGRATION LEAGAL SERVICES INTERNSHIP
Catholic Charities Refugee & Immigration Services (RIS), is looking for an intern for our new immigration legal services program. This is a unique opportunity for the right candidate to get in on the ground floor as we build a program to serve the growing demand for specialists with knowledge of current immigration law. As of March 2010 RIS is a Board of Immigration Appeals recognized agency, with a BIA accredited staff person. As such we are authorized to represent clients before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) but not before immigration court. All cases requiring an attorney are referred.
RIS legal intern will:
- Learn the law pertaining to basic essential immigration benefits including green cards, immigrant visas, and U.S. citizenship
- Have the opportunity to become proficient in preparing exacting immigration applications with necessary support documents
- Work directly with clients/applicants from Maine’s refugee communities including Vietnamese, Cambodian, Somali, Sudanese, Iraqi, Burmese, Russian
- Take responsibility for a case load, with direct supervision and with access to legal counsel
With this new effort RIS seeks to address the growing need for low-cost qualified legal immigration support to Maine’s refugee community. We expect our new legal services program to grow apace with our capacity to provide services. Candidates for the legal services internship can expect challenges, as well as opportunities to help shape the program.
Start date: October 2010 or January 2011
Commitment: Minimum of 6 months or 1 academic semester. Preference for 1 year commitment or full academic year
Hours: Part-time, 10- 15 hours a week
Compensation: There is no pay for this position, but interns receive a wealth of hands-on experience working with the refugee community, and the opportunity to help conceive and grow new resources and partnerships
Location: Catholic Charities Refugee & Immigration Services, 250 Anderson Street, Portland
Contact: Judith Southworth jsouthworth@ccmaine.org
RIS — Employment Internship
RIS continues to welcome refugee families to Maine from the Middle East and East Africa throughout the fiscal year. Since one of the goals of RIS is to facilitate self-sufficiency, part of the resettlement process involves helping refugees to secure employment. To this end, RIS is in search of an Employment Intern.
Under the supervision of the Employment Case Manager, the intern will assist refugees in a number of ways including but not limited to: filling out job applications (online and paper), delivering paper applications to employers, researching new job opportunities for refugees, helping in the organization of employment events, assisting in the development of resumes and cover letters, and completing various administrative tasks (faxing, photocopying, etc.). If the intern has a license and is 21 or older, s/he may be asked to transport clients to employment related meetings. Additional research projects and activities can be developed with intern according to his/her particular interests.
The internship, though unpaid, will give the intern substantial first hand experience of the refugee resettlement process, an international as well as local understanding of the nature of displacement and the process of acculturation, and increased understanding of the diverse cultures among us. Interns are expected to work a minimum of 20 hours/week.
Hours: minimum of 20 hours a week
Compensation: It is possible for RIS interns to register their volunteer hours with AmeriCorps and by completing a specific number of "volunteer hours" an individual can earn money that can be used for education to pay existing loans or help with current education expenses. A 300 hour position gets a $1000 education award and a 450 hour position gets a $1250 education award upon completion of the term.
Location: Catholic Charities Refugee & Immigration Services, 250 Anderson Street, Portland
Contact: Elizabeth Greason at egreason@ccmaine.org
Refugee & Immigration Services (RIS) — Case Aid Internship
RIS continues to welcome refugee families to Maine from the Middle East and East Africa throughout the fiscal year. The agency is searching for interns for the 2010/2011 academic school year.
The roles and responsibilities of a RIS intern shift with the needs of the caseload. Successful candidates will be assigned as Case Aides and their primary role will be in assisting refugee families in their US resettlement and acculturation. Case Aides will help staff with a variety of direct service and administrative duties for new refugee arrivals. Activities will typically include: helping to secure and prepare housing prior to a refugee's arrival; meeting/greeting arrivals at the airport and assisting in their transportation to their accommodation; helping clients to access services at DHHS, assisting in the enrollment of adults in adult education classes and children in school; helping clients to register for Social security; accessing medical appointments, and pursuing opportunities for employment. Case Aides will be active onsite at RIS offices, as well as at local service agencies and as needed at client homes. Additional research projects and activities in support of clients can be developed with interns according to their particular interests.
The internships, though unpaid will give the intern substantial first hand experience of the refugee resettlement process, an international as well as local understanding of the nature of displacement and the process of acculturation, and increased understanding of the diverse cultures among us. Interns are expected to work a minimum of 20hours/week. It is preferred for interns to be able to drive and have access to a vehicle to aid in the provision of some client services.
Hours: 20 hours a week
Compensation: It is possible for RIS interns to register their volunteer hours with AmeriCorps and by completing a specific number of "volunteer hours" an individual can earn money that can be used for education to pay existing loans or help with current education expenses. A 300 hour position gets a $1000 education award and a 450 hour position gets a $1250 education award upon completion of the term.
Location: Catholic Charities Refugee & Immigration Services, 250 Anderson Street, Portland
Contact: Susan Stiker at sstiker@ccmaine.org
Refugee & Immigration Services (RIS) — Interpret Services Internship
Catholic Charities Maine is the only agency in Maine authorized to administer the federal program that resettles refugees in this country. Realizing that many of these clients arrive in Maine with few possessions, and often have suffered trauma and loss of family members, our Refugee and Immigration staff works with them to access housing, English skills, jobs, and medical and mental health services that will allow them to begin a new life here and become part of the community in which they live.
Catholic Charities RISinterpret is the state's leading provider of interpreter and translation services, providing over 40 languages to a variety of sectors: health care, social services, business, and legal. Our program works to provide on-site interpretation, translation services, and consulting to organizations to improve overall language access.
The 2010 Internship to Catholic Charities Maine RISinterpret is an opportunity to learn more about the refugee experience, interpretation and translation as a career, and business management.
The Refugee & Immigrations Services Interpretation services is seeking one or two interns to assist with various tasks related to interpreter hiring, interpreter scheduling, customer relations, and marketing. Projects will be assigned based upon intern interest; potential projects could include: arranging for and performing interpreting skills assessments with interpreters; coordinating of interpreter trainings; creating a customer database; customer and interpreter satisfaction surveys; and event planning.
The qualified person would be comfortable with different cultures, have strong organizational skills, great attention to detail, will be able to start and complete a project with minimal supervision and have strong computer skills.
Commitment: Minimum 6 months
Hours: Part-time, 10-20 hours a week
Compensation: There is no pay for this position, but interns receive a wealth of hands-on experience working with the refugee community, and the opportunity to help conceive and grow new resources and partnerships
Location: Catholic Charities Refugee & Immigration Services, 250 Anderson Street, Portland
Contact: Melvina Gregory, Interpreter Services Manager MGregory@ccmaine.org
St. Louis Child Development Center – Naptime Monitor
Volunteer To Be A Naptime Monitor! We need your love in working with children and your compassion to help out the St. Louis Child Development Center. St. Louis needs 5 volunteers to help in the classrooms from 12:00pm-2:00pm as a person who aides with naptime responsibilities: helping children fall asleep, keeping a quiet atmosphere and lending a hand to projects that are planned for the day (cutting/sorting/etc.). You will have the ability to pick the day/days that you would like to volunteer. We REALLY could use your help! Please call 282-3790 to find out more about this wonderful opportunity. Note: The St. Louis Child Development Center is a program of Catholic Charities Maine. It provides the highest quality child care available. It is nationally accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. It also is a proud participant in the Early Reading First curriculum.
Assistant to Program Manager - Internship
State-of-the-art substance abuse and mental health treatment program
Catholic Charities Maine Counseling Services is offering a unique opportunity to see first hand the workings of Maine’s foremost outpatient substance abuse and mental health treatment program.
The mission of Catholic Charities Maine Counseling Services (CCMCS) is to empower people with substance abuse, mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders to obtain stability and/or recovery and to improve wellbeing and functioning in their lives. Our program provides the opportunity and resources to maximize prospects for long-term functioning, stability and quality of life.
CCMCS is licensed by the State of Maine to provide both substance abuse and mental health treatment. As a co-occurring capable program using evidence based practice, CCMCS has a primary focus on the treatment of substance-related disorders, and also treats patients who have diagnostic co-occurring mental health problems related to emotional, behavioral or cognitive disorders.
Your role:
- Maintaining client records
- Assisting with design and implementation of access and retention
- Gathering and putting together outcome data for government/grant reports
- Assisting the Program Manger to develop, maintain and complete various program projects such as formulas for measuring productivity, demographic updates, service outcomes, client satisfaction surveys, and retooling documents
Your qualifications:
- Comfortable with numbers
- Knowledge of Excel and PowerPoint
- Able to start and complete a project with minimal supervision
- A quick study
- Good computer skills a must
To apply please send a letter of interest and resume to Eriko Farnsworth, Program Manager, efarnsworth@CCMAINE.org
St. Francis Recovery Center - Volunteer Drivers
Catholic Charities Maine St. Francis Recovery Center in Auburn is in need of volunteer drivers for our agency vans to transport the Extended Shelter clients to local AA meetings. We are seeking drivers between the hours of 6 and 8 p.m. on weekdays and 7 and 9 p.m. on weekends. Please contact Janine Champagne, Program Manager, via email: jchampagne@ccmaine.org or by phone at 784-2901 Ext. 7884.
SEARCH Program
(Seek Elderly Alone, Renew Courage & Hope)
SEARCH Program (Seek Elderly Alone, Renew Courage & Hope) has volunteer opportunities to assist elderly and disabled people in Androscoggin County. Our program offers a rewarding way to spend a few hours a week or month bringing joy to someone else. Our mission is to enable the frail, vulnerable elderly and those with disabilities to remain independent and connected to a caring community. Volunteers can help by providing transportation to assist with grocery shopping or other errands, checking in with the elder by making phone reassurance calls, or just visit with them and be a companion. If you are interested in volunteering for this rewarding and wonderful program please contact Wendy Russell, Program Director, via email:
wrussell@ccmaine.org or by phone at 784-0157.
Volunteers are needed for this service to callers from throughout the state who telephone asking for name(s) of therapists in their area.Volunteer opportunities are the following:
§Take calls and gather information needed.
§File information.
§Search data base for names of counselors and fax or mail to callers.
§Enter data.
Hours are very flexible:
§Monday — Thursday — anytime between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
§Friday — anytime between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
§Work once a week, once every two weeks, etc.
For information, contact Joanne Roy, Counseling Services, Portland, at (207) 523-2746.
Child Care Volunteers
Catholic Charities Maine owns and operates 2 nationally accredited child care centers: St. Joseph’s in Auburn (782-2711) and St. Louis in Biddeford (282-3790). We are seeking people who have special enrichment skills and talents that can be shared with young children. Can you provide painting or art activities? Can you teach yoga or creative dance? How can you enrich our children’s lives with music or exercise? Can you bring your love of reading to the ears of our young children? We want people who can bring their creative passion to one of our centers. Please call the appropriate center above to see how you can utilize your talents with toddlers and preschoolers.
Greater Bath Elder Outreach Network
Volunteer opportunities to help the elderly in the Greater Bath and Brunswick area.The Greater Bath Elder Outreach Network strives to help elders remain in their homes by connecting volunteers and elders to work together.Volunteers may help with transportation to scheduled doctor appointments, assist with grocery shopping, play cards, take the elder for a drive, or just sit and enjoy each other’s company.If you are interested in volunteering for this wonderful program, please contact Kathy LaMore, Volunteer Coordinator, via email:klamore@ccmaine.org or via phone:837-8810.
