Various (refugee)
LOCATION
SCHEDULE OPTIONS
Semester availability
FallSpring
Summer
Service hours
MorningAfternoon
Weekend
Available days/hours
The center is open during these times:
Monday-Friday :9Am-5Pm
REQUIRED/DESIRED SKILLS
Experience with different backgrounds (many of those at the center are 20-60 year old African American men and women, the intern needs to be comfortable)
Some experience with volunteer, Office/administrative
Good sense of humor
Someone who can go with the flow, flexible
Self-motivated
Good listener
Patient
CATEGORIES
AdultsEducation
English as a Second Language
Marketing
Public Relations
Refugees
Social Services
COMMUNITY PARTNER
Lost Boys Center for Leadership Development
ABOUT THE INTERNSHIP
Duties
The main focus of the internship will be coordinating events such as workshops and ESL classes. Other tasks may include locating job openings, mentor matching, volunteer management, and resume building. The intern will work with the Volunteer Coordinator and other Center office administrators. The intern may also be involved in whatever duties the center may need them for.
*Assignments not listed may be assigned, depending on daily tasks
Population served
The population that we serve is between two-three thousand Sudanese refugees who are located in Arizona, mainly the metro-Phoenix area. The Sudanese community is in need of these services because of their horrific experiences in escaping the civil-war. Since the mid-1980's, Sudan (in East Africa) has experienced brutal civil war fueled by religious, ethnic and regional strife. Fleeing the violence and bloodshed of Sudan's internal conflict, thousands of innocent children have experienced mind-numbing horrors and intense hardship. Orphaned as young as four years old, they fled into the jungle and began walking to Ethiopia. They stayed in refugee camps in Ethiopia until the government overthrew the Communists in 1991 and forced the young boys to leave at gunpoint. When they returned to Sudan, they were again met with hostility.
Thus began another long walk—this time to a United Nations refugee camp in Kenya. They lived in Kakuma since 1992. Although hungry, frightened, and weakened, their spirit of hope remained strong through their unyielding faith in God, and their intense desire to become educated. Intolerable living conditions in the camp gave the United States government reason to resettle some 4,000 of these, now, young men in America. In 2001, some 550 “Lost Boys” have “found” Arizona and have made it their new home. They are bright with hope, full of smiles, and ready to become contributing members of their new communities.
Community need/impact
The internship tasks will address the needs of the center and the Sudanese community. The intern will also help create and maintain relationships and ties to the greater Phoenix community. The role will also support the Lost Boys and Girls to assume an ever-increasing role in managing their Center to meet their needs.
The interns' time and dedication will help better the lives of the Sudanese refugees.Their time of services will help raise money that will go towards scholarships and job services, helping the Boys and Girls to graduate and find work. The interns services and commitment will impact their lives substantially.
