Human Rights Project Presents

Call for Student Volunteers to Help Asylum Seekers

Bard’s Human Rights Project (HRP) is looking for student volunteers to work directly with asylum seekers, in partnership with Neighbors Link’s Community Law Practice and the Coalition to Support Hudson Valley Asylum Seekers. 

Seeking asylum is a complex, stressful, and time-consuming process, and legal services providers cannot effectively meet the current demand without additional support. This new partnership, supported by the Consortium on Forced Migration, Displacement and Education, will help to build legal services capacity by delegating specific parts of the asylum application process to students, who will work under HRP and Neighbors Link supervision. Lawyers from Neighbors Link will provide necessary training (either remote or in-person) for all students before beginning the work. While the bulk of this work will be done remotely, there may be a need for occasional visits to the hotels where asylum seekers are currently living, which will be organized ahead of time.
 
Capable, attentive, independently motivated students are sought to join this volunteer effort as soon as possible. To build the most effective volunteer team, the group is especially looking for students who can speak any one (or more) of the following languages: Arabic, Turkish, Wolof, Pulaar, Portuguese, French, or Spanish.  This is a chance to purposefully connect with the individuals and families who are now neighbors, to meet members of the broader Coalition, and to gain hands-on knowledge about the asylum process and all that goes into it. This is an excellent opportunity for students interested in careers relating to law, human rights, global studies, refugee studies, social services, humanitarian work, etc. 

If you are interested, please send a note to [email protected] to introduce yourself, describe your interest in this work, and list any language skills and other skills you feel are relevant. 

If you want to learn more, join us for an information session on  Friday, September 8 at 4 pm in the George Ball Lounge (Room 133), Bertelsmann Campus Center.

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For more information, call 845-758-6822.

Time: 4:00 pm EDT/GMT-4

Location: Campus Center, George Ball Lounge

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