Internship Opportunity 2016 Summer
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Internship Opportunity 2016 Summer About Us: In the spirit of, and with homage to, the Underground Railroad, Rainbow Railroad helps LGBT individuals as they seek safehaven from stateenabled violence, murder and persecution. By providing information and connections, and by funding travel and related costs, it helps individuals get to a safer country. Additionally, Rainbow Railroad supports the resettlement of LGBT refugees to Canada through pilot project in private sponsorship. Rainbow Railroad is a volunteerbased organization lead by an Executive Director. In the coming weeks, they will be recruiting their first fulltime paid caseworker and they are also seeking 12 interns for the 2016 summer season. These interns will be responsible for conducting direct casework with persecuted LGBT individuals, conducting research projects to increase our capacity to help and work better with partners, and support the overall administration and fundraising operations of the organization. Primary Function: Reporting to the Executive Director and working with the Program Manager, Directors and volunteers, the 2016 Summer Intern(s) will be responsible for conducting direct case work, supporting volunteers working on cases, conducting policy research and supporting the administration of the organization. Key Responsibilities: Case Work: ● Work with volunteers and directly with LGBT individuals in highrisk countries to verify their case, provide information and connections to local organizations, and help develop a route to a safehaven, where appropriate. ● Maintain accurate and current files on all assigned cases. Research: ● Conduct research on key policy areas to further Rainbow Railroad’s mandate including, but not limited to, the refugee and asylum process in key destination countries and other organizations supporting LGBT refugees and asylum seekers. Administration and fundraising: ● Research and assist with grant writing. ● Develop system to track and coordinate Rainbow Railroad volunteers and build a pipeline to recruit volunteers for future Rainbow Railroad needs. ● Provide general administrative support for Rainbow Railroad development events and initiatives. Knowledge and Experience: ● Selfstarter who is able to work independently ● Strong problem solving skills ● Ability to effectively communicate, both orally and in writing ● Sound decisionmaking and judgment skills. ● Links to LGBT communities in highrisk countries is an asset. ● Crosscultural experience is an asset. Skills and attributes ● Strong written and spoken English language skills. ● Additional language skills are assets, especially languages spoken in the countries from which we receive requests. ● Proficient with Google Apps for Business (Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets) and Skype. ● Strong people skills Helping Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans (LGBT) people as they seek safe haven from state enabled violence, murder or persecution. .