Fall 2024 Economic Empowerment – Matching Grant Intern

SCOPE OF WORK

The Economic Empowerment program assists refugees to become economically self-sufficient by placing recently arrived refugees in their first job in the United States. The goal of the program is to help clients reduce barriers to self-sufficiency and employment and assist clients in securing full-time employment. The intern will work directly under the supervision of the Matching Grant [MG] Case Worker.

This is an unpaid internship position that requires a minimum commitment of 20 hours a week for at least two months. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assist MG Case Worker in completing eligibility assessments and MG enrollments.
• Create individualized Self-Sufficiency Plans with MG clients to identify and strategize on how to remove barriers to economic self-sufficiency.
• Collaborate with clients to create family budgets and provide resources to reduce expenses as needed 
• Complete any activities related to removing barriers to self-sufficiency such as helping clients secure state IDs, open bank accounts, public transportation orientation, etc. 
• Maintain up to date and accurate casefiles and case notes, and complete regular casefile review. 
• Track service provision through electronic data entry and organize required client documentation. 
• Manage distribution and tracking of in-kind donations to clients. 
• Other duties as assigned.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES 

• Intern will gain US resettlement agency experience in assessing new clients.
• Interns will learn how to communicate effectively across cultures including by utilizing interpreters.
• Intern will acquire knowledge of programs and public benefits available to humanitarian immigrants.
• Intern will learn reporting requirements for resettlement agencies and how capturing this data improves services.

REQUIREMENTS

• Current undergraduate, graduate student or less than 12 months out of school.
• Fall (September, October, November): Minimum 20 hours/week for 3 months
• Minimum 10 hours/week
• Primary availability during IRC business hours (M-F; 9:00 am – 5:00pm) 
• Preference given to applicants able to make multi-term commitment 
• Strong digital literacy skills and the ability to learn new software and tasks.
• Organized and attentive to detail.
• Ability to work independently and multi-task.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including cross-cultural communication skills.
• Works well in a fast-paced environment and adapts quickly to change.
• Interest in working with refugee and humanitarian populations.
• Fluency in Spanish, Kiswahili, Kinyarwanda, Arabic, Dari, Pashto, or Burmese is a plus.
• Access to an insured vehicle preferred, but not required.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.