Services for Older Refugees (SOR) Intern

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TITLE: Services for Older Refugees (SOR) Intern

DURATION: 4 months, early/mid January to early/mid May

LOCATION: Elizabeth, New Jersey

BACKGROUND: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. At work in more than 40 countries and over 20 U.S. cities, the IRC provides resettlement, education and empowerment support to refugees and displaced people.

SCOPE OF WORK: The Services for Older Refugees (SOR) Intern will work under the supervision of the SOR Caseworker to provide trauma-informed services to elder refugees, asylees and other humanitarian entrants to support their integration, independence and well being. The Services for Older Refugees program is part of IRC’s Refugee Support Services which offers case management support to the elder newcomer population aged 60 years and older. The internship includes opportunities for direct engagement with clients to connect them to services both within the IRC and externally in accordance with client eligibility and program requirements. This internship is unpaid and requires a minimum commitment of 15 hours per week. The hours may be completed either virtually or through a combination of in person and virtual time.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
* Assist the SOR Caseworker to conduct new client intakes to assess needs and develop and implement self-sufficiency action plans over agreed timeframes with each client.
* Assist the SOR Caseworker to provide individualized case management support to each client through direct services, referrals, and advocacy.
* Conduct outreach calls to clients to monitor progress, understand challenges and ensure available resources are utilized.
* Assist with scheduling client intakes and appointments.
* Assist in documenting all client interactions in internal database and tracking tools in accordance with program requirements.
* Assist with interpretation for the SOR Caseworker, as needed.
* Other related duties as assigned.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Gain hands-on experience and on-the-job training to provide direct services to a large and diverse elder client caseload.
2. Gain experience working in an office environment both virtually and in-person and participate in IRC trainings or other learning and development opportunities.

3. Learn about the IRC’s US Program and specifically the case management services offered to elder newcomers.

REQUIREMENTS:
* Prior experience or demonstrated interest working with refugee or immigrant populations.
* Demonstrated success working and communicating effectively in a multi-cultural environment.
* Excellent interpersonal and communications skills.
* Ability to take initiative and work independently on assigned tasks and a high-degree of comfort working in an external-facing, client support role.
* Strong problem-solving skills and client service orientation, including the ability to be resourceful and creative to address client needs.
* Good time management and organizational skills.
* Strong attention to detail.
* A positive attitude and ability to adapt to a dynamic work environment.
* Commitment to maintain client confidentiality.
* Fluency in Haitian Creole, Arabic, Ukrainian, Dari or Pashto highly desired.
* Ability to work a hybrid schedule including scheduled in-person workdays.
* Proficient in Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams.