Child Advocates for Unaccompanied Immigrant Children
The Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights are seeking volunteers to become Child Advocates. Child Advocates are federally appointed volunteers who serve unaccompanied immigrant children in U.S. custody. Young Center staff and volunteers work together to advocate for the best interests of the child—assessing what they want, what is safe for them, and other factors—to determine what can ultimately be recommended to an immigration judge or other stakeholder. Volunteers are appointed to one child at a time and make weekly visits to that child in their detention facility. (Due to COVID-19, these visits will take place through online video conferencing.) Child Advocates are a unique and powerful support system for these children who may otherwise be alone. Volunteer requirements: Must be over 21 years old Must be bilingual; Spanish strongly preferred, though other language abilities are needed Must be able to clear a federal criminal background check Must be able to clear child abuse/neglect registry checks for every state of residence in the past 5 years Must provide proof of a negative tuberculosis test within the past 12 months to enter a detention facility (because all visits have been moved online, this requirement has been waived until further notice) Must attend a two-day training (currently online) Must be able to travel to at least one of the facilities served by the Young Center, located in Westchester, Yonkers, Long Island, the Bronx, Harlem, and Manhattan. Priority will be given to Westchester and Long Island availability Training dates occur three times per year. Volunteers will be provided a number of pre-recorded presentations to watch the week of the training. During the four-hour sessions, volunteers will review the presentations and present new information.
Yonkers, NY
Through 9/24/21
