About Grassroots Leadership

Grassroots Leadership is an Austin, Texas-based national organization that works to end prison profiteering and reduce reliance on criminalization and detention through direct action, organizing, research, and public education.

We believe that no one should be detained or deported, and that human connection and organizing has the power to challenge the immigration and criminal justice systems. Advocacy should be lead by those most directly impacted by systems of injustice, as they are the ones most knowledgeable about the issues, impacted by the decisions, and most qualified to lead.

Skills/Qualifications:

Grassroots Leadership is seeking a dedicated, passionate individual to join our team in a 10-15 hr/wk unpaid Immigrant Detention Visitation internship. The ideal candidate will have personal or family history with detention and/or deportation, be bilingual English/Spanish, foreign born or from an immigrant family, and a person of color, all of which are representative of the communities most impacted by unjust immigration policies.

We are unfortunately not able to offer a stipend for this position, but can support a student in securing any relevant course credit for the internship.

Additional qualifications include:

• Excellent written communication and listening skills in both English and Spanish– able to speak clearly and write expressively
• Able to work in a fast paced environment and respond quickly to changing priorities
• Highly organized
• Strong critical thinking skills, with the confidence/ability to question analytically
• Cross culturally responsive showing ability to work with a wide variety of individuals from various backgrounds, including immigrant, faith-based, and student populations
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work well within a team
• Ability to process highly sensitive information shared around violence experienced and sexual-based trauma
• Kindness, flexibility, and sense of humor – we’re a small, family-like organization that values community
• Knowledge of MS Office, Google Docs and Gmail, and database systems strongly desired

Internship Responsibilities:

Primary internship responsibilities would be to support training, engagement, and advocacy with community volunteers visiting asylum-seeking women detained at the Hutto Detention Center outside Austin, TX. The vast majority of women detained are from Central America, most escaping persecution at the hands of gangs, traffickers, and abusers. Our program trains community volunteers to visit with the women one-on-one for the duration of their stays, with the goals of 1) ending the isolation of detention, 2) monitoring human rights abuses and 3) creating advocates for detention reform. Core internship responsibilities include:

• Assisting with volunteer recruitment within Student, faith-based, and spanish dominant communities
• Preparation and co-facilitation of new volunteer orientations, including separate orientations conducted in English and in Spanish
• Leading volunteers on group visits to the Hutto Detention Center
• Resource Sharing with volunteers
• Developing continuing development trainings for ongoing volunteer development and support
• Administrative support and database maintenance.
• Data analysis of information gathered during visitation and detention center monitorings to support advocacy efforts
• Participation in organizing activities.

Interested students should send their resume and cover letter to the attention of Sofia Casini at scasini@grassrootsleadership.org by close of day Monday, August 8th. She is happy to talk beforehand and answer any questions if students have them.