Volunteer Coordinator
TRLA seeks a Volunteer Coordinator for its Asylum Defense Project. The Volunteer Coordinator will support TRLA’s efforts to provide free civil legal services to asylum-seekers who are detained at the South Texas Family Residential Center (“STFRC”) in Dilley, Texas or stuck in Mexico while waiting to seek asylum in the United States.
STFRC is the nation’s largest immigration detention facility. It is located 70 miles southwest of San Antonio and houses up to 2,400 women and children, including children who are only one year old. TRLA’s Proyecto Dilley maintains a small team of on-site lawyers and paralegals who facilitate a non-traditional model of legal services, with the goal of providing all detained families access legal representation. Proyecto Dilley recruits teams of volunteers nationally who commit to arriving in Dilley on a Sunday, attending a mandatory orientation, and providing legal services to families throughout the week. After an exhilarating and exhausting week, the volunteer team leaves the following Saturday, and a new team arrives to take over their caseload and carry the work forward. DPBP’s radical model of providing services to asylum-seekers in the United States has received national attention and support. You can learn more about Proyecto Dilley’s work and origin at http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/How-to-crowdsource-a-refugee-ri.
TRLA’s Proyecto de Ayuda a Solicitantes de Asilo (“PASA”) provides remote legal assistance to asylum-seekers who have been forced to wait in Mexico. PASA’s primary goal is to help asylum-seekers get out of Mexico so that they may present their claims for asylum while safe inside the United States. PASA volunteers help clients prepare for interviews with asylum officers and customs and border patrol agents, represent clients before the Immigration Judge or Board of Immigration Appeals, and research and gather country conditions that support claims under the Convention Against Torture.
Duties:
All candidates should possess a sense of urgency to protect asylum-seekers, empathy, and the ability to stay calm and collected in the midst of crisis. Candidates should also possess a commitment to defending the principal of non-refoulment and the rule of law. The Volunteer Coordinator’s work will include, but not be limited to, the following duties:
- Coordinate volunteer orientation and logistics;
- Lead volunteer training and meetings, when appropriate;
- Ensure volunteers have access to relevant technology;
- Facilitate volunteer engagement to ensure appropriate and timely data entry and database integrity;
- Develop and maintain project systems for volunteer recruitment, clearance, tracking, and service;
- Review volunteer surveys and provide critical information to management;
- Provide ongoing logistical assistance to volunteers;
- Meet regularly with the Project’s management team and staff, formally and informally, to assess volunteer needs and challenges;
- Assist with volunteer recruitment efforts;
- Communicate with clients to facilitate volunteer case placement;
- Serve as primary liaison between volunteers and the Project upon conclusion of the volunteer experience; and
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications:
- Fluency in English and Spanish
- College degree
- Excellent oral and writing skills
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Flexibility to work evenings and weekends and accommodate an irregular work schedule
- A proven commitment to supporting vulnerable immigrant populations
Preferred:
- Dedication to and experience in serving low-income populations
- Experience working with survivors of trauma
- Experience coordinating or participating in volunteer-based projects
How to Apply and Related Timelines:
For consideration, applicants should complete application and upload a cover letter, resume, and three references. to apply click on the green "Apply Externally" button.
The consideration of candidates is ongoing and will continue until the position is filled. The position is available immediately, the projected state date, though negotiable, is Monday June 29, 2020.
Salary 33930 – 46290