We are hiring a bilingual (Spanish/English) organizer at 30-40 hours per week for NSM’s Accompaniment work, which fights against detention and deportation through a multi-pronged strategy of:
- supporting families facing deportation by bringing groups of people to court and holding judges accountable
- organizing community members around anti-detention campaigns; participating in statewide and national coalitions
- supporting the Community Fund for Bond and Legal Support to free people from detention
- individual case work around immigration and other basic needs, connecting people to resources and inviting them to education events, community, and campaign
The organizer will partner with a community member working 10 hours a week who will coordinate the non-immigration case work.
Accompaniment walks with people facing detention and deportation at each level – from inside the courtroom to fighting for structural change. We show up in court with NSM members to push the immigration and other legal systems to be accountable to the immigrant community. For those detained, members of Accompaniment formed Familias Unidas Committee. They raise funds to help families pay immigration bonds and legal representation through the Community Fund for Bond and Legal Support. Finally, we organize families to fight grassroots campaigns to end detention.
New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia (NSM) is an interfaith, multicultural immigrant justice organization working to build power, develop leadership, accompany families facing deportation and fight grassroots campaigns in order to change the balance of power and create a more welcoming and just city and country. Find out more at www.sanctuaryphiladelphia.org.
Responsibilities include:
- Coordinate Accompaniment to immigration, family, traffic and criminal courts. This includes connecting people to legal support and coordinating volunteers to come to court.
- Manage phone calls, emails, in person meetings and court case evaluation
- Coordinate calendar of events for different cases
- Strategize and organize with legal representative’s cases that may need public pressure to win their cases with petitions, calls, letter writing, etc.
- Maintain and build relationships with resources for immigrants such as lawyers, organizations, agencies and government entities in the city
- Organize and co-facilitate monthly virtual community meetings for resource sharing and political education
- Build relationships with individuals in Accompaniment and invite them to NSM’s organizing such as events, meetings, committees and campaigns.
- Help immigrant community members learn and connect with resources and support them to take advantage of opportunities.
- Attend monthly meetings with groups working on detention issues both locally and nationally
- Support and co-facilitate the work of the Familias Unidas Committee which runs the Community Fund
- Work with case work coordinator, who will support individuals and families with needs such as immigration, housing, education, and health care
- Support case work coordinator in their work to build a team of volunteers to support non-immigration related casework
- Help expand and operationalize our case management system
Qualifications:
- Fluent in Spanish: Ability to speak, interpret and translate Spanish.
- Proficient in English
- At least 2 years of experience working with the immigrant community and or community organizing
- Firm understanding of organizing, building power in communities and a commitment to a vision of shifting power
- Demonstrated ability to manage and respond appropriately to high level of cases with heavy emotional issues
- Excellent interpersonal skills – ability to build and maintain relationships with community members of different ethnicities and faiths
- Detail oriented, organized, able to meet deadlines
Working knowledge of PC, word processing, data entry programs, petition platforms, and social media - Ability to identify leadership potential
- General knowledge of office administration
- Openness to a variety of religious experiences and engaged in one’s own spiritual journey
- Passionate about social justice and immigrant justice.
- Highly motivated and independent worker
- Desire to learn, grow and be challenged
- Problem solving skills
- Flexible hours – evenings and weekends
A Plus: Bi-cultural and/or a member of the immigrant community, knowledge working with coalitions
Salary: $31,500 – $42,000
Benefits: 4 weeks paid vacation, 5 paid sick days, holidays, health insurance, retirement fund, monthly spiritual/emotional health day, eligible for 3 month sabbatical after 5 years.
Please send a cover letter, resume and three references to blanca@sanctuaryphiladelphia.
New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates for employment will be considered without regard to race or ethnicity, gender, age, national origin, marital status or sexual orientation. Women and persons of color are encouraged to apply.