Social Justice InternAt — UURISE (Unitarian Universalist Refugee and Immigrant Services and Education, Inc.)
Volunteers and interns are a valued and vital member to the team; without them we would not be able to provide the same level of support to the disenfranchised communities that we aim to serve. Flexible hybrid and in-person opportunities are available at a variety of times including evenings and weekends. Eligible volunteers/interns will have the opportunity to work out of UURISE’s co-located offices at One Safe Place in San Marcos. Direct service responsibilities include meeting with walk-in and scheduled clients to complete UURISE CARE screening, providing subsequent CARE (Connections-Advocacy-Resource Navigation-Emergency Safety Planning) services, and connecting clients to UURISE legal services as needed. Support responsibilities include assisting the UURISE legal team with case support services (translation of documents, working on electronic files, assistance with declarations, etc), and working on other UURISE projects including community outreach and participating in fundraising events.
How to work as a team; how to be an advocate for undocumented and immigrant communities; how to provide clients with appropriate community resources; how to retain confidential information; how to support our legal team; how to assess and assist participants throughout Naturalization and Emergency Safety Planning for Immigrants workshops.
Students who are placed with UURISE as interns will receive virtual onboarding where they will learn about the history of UURISE, including our mission and vision, and the importance of understanding confidentiality and communicating as a team. To assist with Emergency Safety Planning and Resource Navigation, interns/volunteers will receive virtual training on how to become a Safety Plan Specialist and trained on our CARE Screening. To assist with Naturalization assessments and assistance, interns/volunteers will receive virtual training on the Naturalization process, how to understand the application process, and how to collect supporting information for our legal service providers. All interns/volunteers will receive training on the basics of current immigration laws, policies, and enforcement, and the history of the U.S. Immigration System.
In–person and hybrid opportunities are available for a selected number of students who are interested and eligible. For any in-person or hybrid options, we require all staff, interns, and volunteers to show verification they are fully vaccinated and boosted for COVID, and are only accepting medical waivers. Masking is also required.
Apart from placing with UURISE through the CSUSM Internship database, students who are interested in completing an internship with our site are required to complete UURISE's Volunteer/Intern Application: https://uurise.org/volunteer-or-intern/ and send over a copy of their most recent resume (if available) to volunteers@uurise.org. Once the application is received and reviewed, students will be contacted to set up a virtual interview.
| Hours | Duration |
|---|---|
| 90 | hours per academic term |