Immigrant Justice Corps 2015 Community Fellowship
Applications deadline: 11:59 p.m. EST on March 2, 2015
Community Fellows are recent college graduates who conduct outreach and legal intake in underserved neighborhoods in New York. They screen immigrant New Yorkers for legal relief, and help them file applications for citizenship, green cards, DACA, Deferred Action for Parents, and more.
Community Fellowships are available to students who are completing their undergraduate degree in 2015 or completed it in 2014 and are committed to immigrant justice. Community Fellows become Board of Immigration Appeals accredited representatives. They are placed in community-based host organizations throughout New York City, and their work is directly supervised by Immigrant Justice Corps’ staff attorneys.
The Program
Community Fellowships run for two years at a salary of $38,000 per year plus benefits. Fellows are trained by Immigrant Justice Corps at the start of their fellowship and meet as a group throughout the course of the fellowship for professional development, skills training, and support.
- Community Fellows will work 40 hours a week, including significant weekend and evening hours in order to meet the needs of immigrant New Yorkers.
- Work sites may vary throughout the week and throughout the two years of the program as we deploy Fellows to the neighborhoods with the greatest need for legal help.
- Flexibility, a strong work ethic, and a good attitude are necessary characteristics of Community Fellows.
At the end of the fellowship, Community Fellows will be extraordinarily well trained, deeply networked in the legal and immigrant rights community, and profoundly committed to developing creative strategies to fight poverty and ensure access to justice. The Immigrant Justice Corps Fellowship provides an excellent experience for recent graduates considering a career in law and/or immigrant rights advocacy.
Eligibility
- The Community Fellowship is for recent college graduates, which includes seniors and 2014 graduates.
- Proficiency in a language other than English is required.
- All Fellows must be ready to begin work in early June 2015; exact date to be determined.
How to Apply
The online application will be open from January 15, 2015 to March 2, 2015. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. EST on March 2, 2015 and must be submitted via the IJC website: www.justicecorps.org.
Interviews will take place in mid-March in New York City or via Skype. Fellows will be informed of their selection by April 15, 2015.
Applicants are asked to submit:
- A resume (no more than two pages)
- A transcript
- Two letters of recommendation, including one academic reference and one from an employer or someone who can speak to the quality of your work in a professional setting (internships, work study and term-time employers are absolutely fine).
- A statement of interest no longer than 500 words describing why you would like to be a Community Fellow. Questions to consider in drafting the Statement of Interest include: Why are you interested in immigration? How might an IJC Fellowship prepare you for the career you want to have in the future? What skills and experiences have prepared you for work with immigrant communities in New York?
- A short statement no longer than 500 words describing a work experience that you particularly liked or disliked. This may have been a work-study job, internship, volunteer work, or any other job you’ve had. Why did you like or dislike the job, and what did you learn from the experience?
*Please try to minimize duplication between the two essays*
Non-discrimination statement
Immigrant Justice Corps does not discriminate against any person seeking services or employment based on race, color, creed, sex, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital status, partnership status, alienage or citizenship status, gender identity, disability, national origin, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Questions? More Information?
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. For more information, visit www.justicecorps.org and on Facebook/immigrantjusticecorps.
