Summer 2024 Community Services & Resettlement Intern (IINE Lowell)

The International Institute of New England is a 501(c)(3) non-profit serving refugees and immigrants in Boston, MA, Lowell, MA, and Manchester, NH. The Institute offers internships to students, graduate students, and recent graduates with demonstrated interest or experience in supporting refugee, asylee, and immigrant populations. Each internship includes an educational component, through which interns contextualize their experience and reflect on their service.

All internships are unpaid and correspond roughly with the US semester system:

• Summer Internship: late May/June through August 2024
  (Applications requested by March 31^st, considered thereafter until positions are filled)

First consideration is given to applicants that can commit at least 16 hours per week over the course of the semester outlined above. Applicants are encouraged to apply regardless of whether their schedule fits the semester system; IINE makes exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Slots fill quickly and candidates are encouraged to apply earlier than the requested date above.

Please note that this internship will be a hybrid format, meaning that some in-person hours at our Lowell, MA office are required.

Community Services and Resettlement Internship Overview

The Community Services team provides case management and other services to newly arrived refugees, asylees and other clients for up to one year after arrival. During this time, staff coordinate the arrival, integration and social services of refugees, asylees, Haitian entrants and other clients after their arrival in the United States. Interns assist the Case Specialists by checking in with clients by phone, helping clients access local transportation and other public services, supporting families to enroll their children in school, and ensuring clients understand available resources through cultural orientation workshops.

Reports To: Community Services Manager

Location: Lowell, MA (hybrid format)

Key Responsibilities:

• Assist staff with case management including:
  • applying for temporary financial assistance
  • advocating for health and social services,
  • searching for available housing
  • accompanying clients to the Department of Transitional Assistance, health clinics, Social Security office, etc.
  • helping to coordinate referrals to a wide variety of social services
• Help clients identify and find community amenities (laundromat, grocery story)
• Manage and update client records including case notes and case files
• Provide general administrative assistance to the Community Services team

Qualifications:

• Interest in international, refugee, asylee, and/or immigrant issues
• Patience speaking with non-native English speakers/non-English speakers
• Professionalism, discretion, and maturity in dealing with confidential information
• Experience interacting with social welfare agencies highly desirable
• Experience advocating on behalf of others
• Language skills in Arabic, French, Spanish, Dari, Pashto, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Haitian Creole, or Somali highly desirable
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Highly organized with great attention to detail
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint

Learning Objectives:

1. Recognize common challenges faced by immigrant and refugee populations
2. Develop strong advocacy and interpersonal skills, particularly for use in a cross-cultural, cross-linguistic environment
3. Identify best practices associated with case management and how to effectively conduct client meetings and make community referrals
4. Capture important information from meetings and check-ins in concise case notes and via other forms of documentation
5. Identify and access community resources and services, particularly those that cater to the needs of refugees and immigrants.
6. Understand the US Refugee Resettlement program, as well as what part the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and resettlement agencies like the International Institute of New England play in receiving and integrating refugees.
7. Respectfully express and engage with ideas and values in a multicultural, multilingual environment.