| Scroll down the page to see all volunteer opportunity descriptions!
Volunteer Attorneys - Asylum Project
Lack of experience is not a barrier to providing pro bono representation to asylum seekers. Asylum cases are carefully screened by The Advocates for eligibility for asylum in the U.S. Volunteers are teamed with experienced immigration attorneys and have the support of the staff. Volunteers are provided with a copy of The Advocates Volunteer Attorney Manual and are encouraged to attend the Annual Asylum Conference. Practice Alerts keep volunteers updated on changes in law and procedure.
If you are interested in representing an asylum seeker, join probono.net/asylum, today and view a list of current asylum cases in need of volunteer attorneys.
Volunteer Attorneys - Immigration Practitioners
Attorneys practicing immigration law are urgently needed to serve as mentors to volunteer asylum attorneys and to provide help to clients at walk-in legal clinics and at detained master calendar hearings.
Volunteer Interpreters and Translators
Volunteer interpreters and translators can assist in preparing an client's application for asylum by interpreting at interviews and meetings with the client's attorney and immigration officials or by translating documents for an asylum case. The Advocates keeps a database of volunteer interpreters and translators to call upon as client needs are determined. If you are fluent in English and one or more other languages, and are interested in serving as a volunteer interpreter or translator, join our interpreter database today! Trainings for volunteer interpreters and translators are conducted twice per year. Email David Takassi at dtakassi@advrights.org for more information.
Volunteer Doctors, Psychiatrists and Psychologists
A professional evaluation of a client's physical and mental health is often a critical element supporting their asylum claim. Volunteer health professionals can help corroborate a client's claim that he or she was tortured in their country of origin, or that they have a credible fear of being tortured if they return to their country of origin. By confirming that the client's physical and psychological symptoms are consistent with the type of abuse that the client reports, the volunteer health professional can support the client's credibility. Licensed doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists who are interested in volunteering to assist low-income asylum clients can email Malinda Schmiechen at mschmiechen@advrights.org to learn more about how to become involved in providing this critical service.
Volunteer Accounting Assistant
The Advocates relies on volunteers to help with all aspects of the work in the organization. Periodically we are in need of accounting assistance and other related duties. The Volunteer Accounting Assistant helps to create and run financial reports so that all of our programs are managed efficiently. No accounting experience is necessary, although familiarity with a computer is helpful. Interested persons should email hrights@advrights.org or call 612.341.3302 to find our more about becoming a volunteer.
Volunteer for International Women's Day
Our 14th annual International Women's Day Celebration will take place on March 14, 2009. Our planning begins in September and continues through early March, and we are looking for volunteers to help with a wide variety of event-planning tasks:
Contact: Mary Hunt, 612-341-3302, ext. 107 or mhunt@advrights.org.
Volunteer Researcher - Stop Violence Against Women
The Stop Violence Against Women website (STOPVAW) is a forum for information, advocacy and change. The Advocates developed this website as a tool for the promotion of women's human rights in countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the former Soviet Union (FSU).Volunteers are needed to help update and develop new webpages for the Stop Violence Against Women website. Topics range from domestic violence, trafficking in women, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and other global women’s human rights issues. If interested, please contact Rosalyn Park at 612-341-3302 ext. 106 or email rpark@advrights.org.
Volunteer Researcher - Liberia TRC Project
At the request of the Liberian Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC), The Advocates has coordinated the work of the TRC in the diaspora. Since January 2007, The Advocates has documented statements from Liberians in the diaspora, as well as hosted public hearings for the TRC in St. Paul, Minnesota, to document public testimony from Liberians in the U.S. For more information, please contact Rosalyn Park at 612-341-3302 ext. 106 or email rpark@advrights.org.
- Volunteers are needed to research and draft a memo that describes and analyzes reconciliation mechanisms by Rwanda gacaca courts and Native American circles.
- Volunteers are needed to read and summarize a 529-page report making recommendations for prosecutions for the post-election violence in Kenya.
Volunteer Researcher - Human Rights Education
Energy of a Nation is an on-line immigration resource center for The Advocates and is part of the Building Immigrant Awareness and Support (B.I.A.S.) Project, a project dedicated to helping build thriving, diverse communities. The Energy of a Nation website has fact sheets on immigration and human rights, available at: http://www.energyofanation.org/Immigration_Facts.html. Volunteers are needed to update the fact sheets, which would include updating statistics, facts, and figures. For more information, please contact Aysem Senyurekli at 612-341-3302 ext. 112 or email asenyurekli@advrights.org. | 
