Immigrant Unaccompanied Minors in Need of Immigration ServicesAt — LATINAN - Latin Advocacy Network
Are you a student eager to make a real difference? Our Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) project helps unaccompanied minors navigate complex legal challenges, offering hope and a path to safety.
5 Service Learner Slots
Gain unique experience and make an impact:
- Direct Legal Exposure: Accompany our legal team to family or probate court, observing real-world proceedings and gaining firsthand legal insight.
- Tech for Good: Explore our innovative AI project, revolutionizing language services for Mixteco and Triqui-speaking clients. See how technology breaks down communication barriers.
- Meaningful Contribution: Your efforts directly support our mission, ensuring vulnerable youth receive the protection and care they deserve.
This is an immersive experience combining legal advocacy, tech innovation, and profound human impact. Join us in elevating justice for unaccompanied minors. Ready to learn more? Connect with us today!
Our SIJS project is committed to providing comprehensive training to equip student volunteers with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively contribute. Training will cover a range of critical areas, blending theoretical understanding with practical application:
- Client Identification & Intake: Volunteers will receive training on recognizing the specific needs of unaccompanied minors, understanding their unique vulnerabilities, and conducting initial client screenings to identify potential SIJS cases. This includes learning to differentiate SIJS petitions from other immigration relief options.
- Client Interaction & Support: Training will focus on best practices for working with vulnerable clients, emphasizing trauma-informed approaches, cultural sensitivity, and effective communication strategies to build trust and rapport.
- Legal Writing & Research: Students will be trained in fundamental legal research methodologies and citation. They will learn to draft various legal documents, including declarations, affidavits, and sections of legal briefs, under the supervision of our legal team.
- File Preparation & Court Procedures: Volunteers will learn the meticulous process of preparing client files for court, including organizing documents, exhibits, and evidence. Training will also cover the basics of family and probate court procedures, preparing them for observation roles.
- Language Access Team Collaboration: Students will be integrated into the language access team, learning about the challenges and solutions in providing services to clients with limited English proficiency, particularly Mixteco and Triqui speakers.
- AI Project Immersion: Training will introduce volunteers to the functionalities and ethical considerations of our AI project, demonstrating how it enhances translation and interpretation services, and how they can leverage it in their work.
- Court Observation & Participation: While direct legal representation is handled by attorneys, volunteers will be trained on appropriate conduct and observation techniques when accompanying the legal team to court, understanding their role in supporting the process.
Through a combination of workshops, mentorship, and hands-on tasks, volunteers will gain invaluable experience and contribute meaningfully to our mission.
Opportunity Supervision
We will provide ongoing support and supervision to students through a multi-faceted approach, building on the initial training. This will include:
- Dedicated Mentorship: Each student volunteer will be assigned a mentor from our legal team or experienced staff. This mentor will provide one-on-one guidance, answer questions, review work, and offer constructive feedback on an ongoing basis.
- Regular Check-ins: Scheduled weekly or bi-weekly check-ins (either individual or small group) will be held to discuss progress, address challenges, and provide opportunities for volunteers to share their experiences and learn from each other.
- Performance Feedback: Formal and informal feedback will be provided regularly to help students develop their skills and understand their impact. This may include reviewing drafts of legal documents, discussing court observations, and assessing their interaction with clients.
- Resource Access: Volunteers will have access to relevant legal resources, templates, and internal documentation to support their work.
- Team Collaboration: By integrating students into the language access team and having them work alongside legal professionals, they will receive continuous peer and professional support within a collaborative environment.