CARECEN internships are open to undergraduates, recent graduates or law students who have an interest in community development and public policy affecting immigrants and have a strong commitment to immigrants' rights and advancing social justice. Internships at CARECEN are unpaid. However, we are willing to work with your school if you are looking to earn course credit through the internship.
Internships at CARECEN are offered during the Spring Semester (starting in January), the Summer (starting in June) and during the Fall Semester (starting in September), in the following areas:
• Communications
• Fundraising
• Citizenship and Civic Engagement
• Legal
• Community Support Services
Application deadlines: May 15 (Summer), July 15 (Fall) and November 15 (Spring).
Communications
CARECEN seeks an intern to assist with communications. This internship is a wonderful opportunity to learn while helping CARECEN create and maintain a more professional look for our website, publications and outreach materials, better document activities and media coverage and improve our on-line donation capabilities. To that end the intern should have some experience in evaluating the current status of web usage and production, making critical analysis and suggestions, and finding ways to develop and improve the website and outreach materials.
Duties
- Assist staff with media outreach for specific events.
- Keep track and document radio, TV and print media coverage of CARECEN activities, events or accomplishments and update the media list as needed.
- Work with staff to complete monthly e-newsletter.
- Design and distribute email blasts with action alerts to our community
- Update website regularly.
- Update CARECEN's Facebook and Change.org pages as needed with current issues and relevant news.
- Participate in meetings with the service and advocacy teams as needed.
- Work with staff to help consolidate information for CARECEN's annual report or other publications such as brochures, fact sheets, etc.
- Help design flyers for CARECEN's programs and events.
- Contribute by developing new and innovative ideas for communications.
Requirements
- Strong writing skills.
- Consistency, attention to detail.
- Good interpersonal and communications skills.
- Ability to carry out research independently.
- Capacity to organize and summarize information.
- Ability to meet deadlines.
- Desktop publishing, HTML, and related computer skills.
- Graphic design experience is a plus.
Intern will work 15 hours a week, with a schedule determined in consultation with CARECEN.
Desirable: Spanish preferred but not required.
Contact
For more information, please contact Ana Negoescu at (202) 328-9799 x16.
To apply please email a cover letter and resume to anegoescu@carecendc.org.
Fundraising
CARECEN seeks an intern to assist with fundraising. This internship represents an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the field of development at a community-based organization focused on immigrant rights, affordable housing, and citizenship. The intern will also gain exposure to advocacy and organizing and become familiarized with emerging policy issues as they affect the Latino community.
Duties
- Research funding prospects relevant to CARECEN programs and activities, including direct legal services, housing counseling, and citizenship.
- Update the donor database, working closely with the Manager of Administration and Program Support.
- Help consolidate essential information on the history of giving at CARECEN, to include a compilation of key grants and contracts over the last decade.
- Help with administration, organization, and filing of grant proposals, reports, and contract information, so as to maintain historical and current records of all proposals submitted.
- Participate in monthly planning meetings with the Fundraising team.
- Assist with the organization of small fundraising events and a larger fundraising event to take place in 2010.
- Help represent the organization together with staff at meetings, events and other outreach opportunities in order to increase visibility for CARECEN.
- Contribute by developing new and innovative ideas for raising funds and maintaining relationships with current donors, including the design of effective fundraising-related communications strategies.
Benefits
- Work as part of a small and closely coordinated team to increase fundraising yields at CARECEN and help the organization grow and sustain programs.
- Learn about fundraising for community-based nonprofit organizations, with specific reference to working with the Latino immigrant community.
- Gain exposure to fundraising for advocacy and direct services organizations.
- Participate in staff meetings to understand the planning process at CARECEN.
- Join a diverse, bilingual, and highly collegial institutional setting.
Requirements
- Consistency, attention to detail.
- Good interpersonal and communications skills.
- Ability to carry out research independently.
- Capacity to organize and summarize information.
Intern will work 15 hours a week, with a schedule determined in consultation with CARECEN.
Desirable: Spanish helpful but not required.
Contact
For more information please contact Raquel Guerricagoitia at (202) 328-9799 x13.
To apply please email a cover letter and resume to rguerricagoitia@carecendc.org.
Citizenship and Civic Engagement
The CARECEN Citizenship program works to empower the Central American and Latino community of the Washington metropolitan area by providing educational programs and engaging the community in advocacy campaigns, among other activities. In line with CARECEN's overall mission, this program strives to respond to the changing needs of the Latino population and assist members in developing roots in their new communities. CARECEN's citizenship intern will work under the supervision of the Director of Outreach and Advocacy and will be part of the Advocacy and Community Action team.
Duties
- Work with program staff to coordinate program activities such as youth projects, membership activities, voter registration drives, immigration reform campaigns, and legislative activities.
- Monitor voting records on immigration-related bills for members of Congress, specifically State Representatives in Virginia and Maryland.
- Assist in the coordination and instruction of citizenship classes as well as follow-up with citizenship applicants, including data entry and case management.
- Serve as an interpreter during naturalization interviews.
- Conduct various outreach activities such as creating and submitting press releases, participating in community events to provide information about CARECEN's activities, and promoting activities to clients and community members.
- Assist in the creation of publications (English and Spanish).
- Help represent the organization together with staff at meetings, events and other outreach opportunities in order to increase visibility for CARECEN.
- Assisting with other duties as assigned by the Supervisor.
Qualifications
- Commitment to serving the low-income Central American/Latino Immigrant community.
- Ability to carry out research independently.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with English/ Spanish bilingual ability highly preferred.
- Interest in adult education, the legislative process and community organizing.
Intern will work 15-20 hours a week, with a schedule determined in consultation with CARECEN, including some Saturdays and possibly a weekday evening. Good writing and communication in Spanish is required.
Contact
To apply, please e-mail a resume and cover letter outlining qualifications to Ana Negoescu, Citizenship Program Director, anegoescu@carecendc.org
Community Support Services
The Community Support Services internship is a great opportunity to improve your Spanish through language immersion and to learn more about the issues facing the local Latino community. The aim of the Community Support Services Program is to help limited English speakers navigate the complex world of governmental agencies by providing assistance in completing forms, offering translation/interpretation services and referrals as needed. The program aims to increase the problem solving skills of Latinos facing consumer and employment issues and other problems. The intern will assist in the provision of these services while serving as a first point-of-contact for community members coming in to CARECEN's offices. There is potential for learning and growth in this position.
Duties
- Provide information on programs at CARECEN and other services available in the DC metro area to community members coming in to the offices or over the phone.
- Direct clients in the office and over the phone to the appropriate staff person.
- Assist clients renewing green cards or work authorization documents.
- For 1-2 hours weekly, conduct Community Support Services intake: provide assistance filling out simple applications and making phone calls, give referrals to other social service organizations and educate clients regarding public benefits, consumer and employment issues and similar topics.
- Assist in data entry for client tracking and grant reporting.
- Translate simple documents and interpret for clients at immigration appointments, time permitting.
- Participate in monthly staff meetings and Service Team meetings.
- Contribute by developing new and innovative ideas for the way services are provided to community members.
- Other duties as assigned by the supervisor.
Requirements
- Competency in both Spanish and English, especially oral.
- Commitment to serving the low-income Central American/Latino Immigrant community.
- Ability to multitask and work under pressure.
- Consistency, attention to detail.
- Good interpersonal and communications skills.
Hours & Compensation: Intern will work approx. 15 hours a week. Must be available either Tuesdays or Thursdays during office hours and for several hours another day of the week. Internship is unpaid, but we are willing to work with your school if you are looking to earn credit.
Contact
For more information please contact Kelly Lange at (202) 328-9799 x20.
To apply please email a cover letter and resume to klange@carecendc.org.
2010 SUMMERCORPS LEGAL PROGRAM AT CARECEN
The Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) is a non-profit community-based organization, which operates legal, social service, educational, housing, and civic education programs for the Central American and Latino communities in the Washington metropolitan area.
CARECEN's immigration legal services program provides low-income Latino immigrants in the Washington metropolitan area with low or no cost, quality legal assistance in a variety of immigration matters, including asylum, U-visas, NACARA, citizenship, permanent residence, family petitions, temporary protected status, and renewal of work authorization documents. Additionally, CARECEN provides general immigration consultations four times a week.
Interns with CARECEN's legal service program will assist with client intakes, help prepare a variety of immigration applications, write up small briefs or memorandum in support of applications, as well as provide any necessary follow-up once the application has been filled. Interns will also assist in organizing and hosting community forums and workshops to educate the community about their legal rights. Interns carry their own caseload and will work under the supervision of CARECEN's Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Fellows.
Start & End Dates
Internships for the summer will begin on May 24, 2010 and end on August 13, 2010.
Compensation
This internship is part of the Equal Justice Works Summer Corps program. Candidates that are selected for the internship will be eligible to earn a taxable $1,000 education award voucher on completion of 300 hours during the 2010 summer at CARECEN.
Requirements
- Applicants must have a commitment to public interest law, and be competent in both English and Spanish.
- Interest in or familiarity with immigration law and immigrant rights.
- Ability to relate to and work with low-income clients, grassroots groups and community-based organizations.
- In order to participate in the Summer Corps program, applicants must be current students at a 2009-10 Equal Justice Works member school and must graduate no earlier than December 2010.
- An applicant must be a U.S. Citizen, U.S. National or Lawful Permanent Resident of the United States.
Deadline
The deadline to apply for an internship is April 1, 2010.
For more information about how to apply, please visit www.equaljusticeworks.org/programs/summercorps/general
Contact
To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, and a brief writing sample via email to Claudia R. Cubas, Esq. at ccubas@carecendc.org.
1460 Columbia Rd. NW, Suite C-1 Washington, D.C. 20009 (202) 328-9799
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