Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering with the IRC Silver Spring is a great way to get involved in your community and help change the life of newly arrived refugees. Here are a few ways you can get involved.
 
Upcoming Volunteer Orientations 

ESL Tutor Orientation- *CANCELLED* Wednesday April 25th 2012 6:30-8:00pm
Family Mentor Orientation- Tuesday May 29th, 2012 from 6:30-8:30pm
(Please email to sign up for the orientaion.  Also one-on-one orientations are possible; please inquire through email)

Typical Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer Interpreter 
3 month commitment varied hours/month
As a volunteer with our Interpreter Program, you will be interpreting for educational workshops and orientations for newly arrived refugees and asylees at the Suburban Washington Resettlement Center.  Additionally, volunteer interpreters may be called upon to assist with one-on-one meetings between clients and caseworkers to ensure effective communication on what can be complicated and sensitive subjects. 
 
Before beginning volunteer work, interpreters will be required to take and pass a language ability and interpreter assessment test administered at the SWRC to ensure quality of interpretation.  If the volunteer does not pass the test, they will be given the option to attend an intensive interpreters training course at a later date.

Professional Development Mentor
6 month commitment 5-10 hours/month
Through the Professional Development Mentor Programs, mentors will provide guidance to refugee clients looking to get involved in a specific industry or field.  Mentors will not only provide guidance to refugee clients but identified Refugee Mentors as well.  Refugee Mentors have succeeded in their respective professions and will serve as a point of contact for new refugees striving for the same goal.  Professional Mentors will be responsible for meeting with their Refugee Mentor as well as their mentee monthly to facilitate meetings and help define activities and goals. 
 
The IRC's Employment Program has identified the need for Professional Mentors in the following professions: Accounting, Administration, Banking, Education, Engineering, Food Service, Healthcare, Hospitality, IT, Production and Retail.  Examples of Mentor activities include: identifying job opportunities and businesses related to the client's professional field, sharing resources, providing networking guidance and facilitating industry related discussions with small mentee groups.

Family Mentor
6 month commitment 15 hours/month
Our core volunteer program is our ‘adopt a family’ mentoring program where volunteers are teamed up and matched with a recently arrived family. You help your family with general needs, concerns, and questions, and help them feel welcome in their new home. This program requires a minimum six-eight month commitment, with the time per week averaging anywhere from two to eight hours, split amongst an assigned team.

ESL Tutor
4 month commitment 2 hours/week
As a volunteer in the program, you will visit the house of a family that recently arrived in the U.S. Your role will be to help them with English. This means that, for whatever reason, these students either do not attend classes or they need supplemental help with classes in which they are currently enrolled; you are essentially replacing the ESL classroom. For this reason, our ESL tutoring program is designed for volunteers with a background in teaching/tutoring ESL.

Contact the Volunteer Coordinator at SilverSpring@Rescue.org to request an application and sign up for the next orientation. Please include a resume and indicate which position you prefer in your email.

*Please note that not all volunteer positions are available at all times*