Individual Development Accounts (IDA) Fellow - International Institute of New Hampshire

Summer 2024 COLA Fellowship Program 

The College of Liberal Arts (COLA) Global Racial and Social Inequality Lab (GRSIL) is hosting summer fellowship program for students enrolled in COLA majors. Rising COLA Juniors and Senior students with a passion for sustainable social justice and skills to promote positive change will be paired with a local organization to work for 6 weeks (dates may vary by host site). APPLY FOR ONE OR MORE OF THE FELLOWSHIP HOST SITES.  

DESCRIPTION

Modality: Interns must commit to at least 16 hours per week. Please note that this internship will be a hybrid format, meaning that some in-person hours at our Manchester, NH office are required.

Host Site Overview: The International Institute of New England is a 501(c)(3) non-profit serving refugees and immigrants in Boston, MA, Lowell, MA, and Manchester, NH. The Institute offers internships to students, graduate students, and recent graduates with demonstrated interest or experience in supporting refugee, asylee, and immigrant populations. Each internship includes an educational component, through which interns contextualize their experience and reflect on their service.

Project Overview : IINE’s IDA Program promotes economic self-sufficiency and long-term independence for low-income refugee individuals and families.  The objectives of the IDA Program are to:

1. Encourage refugees’ regular saving habits,
2. Promote refugee participation in qualified mainstream financial institutions,
3. Increase refugees’ knowledge of financial and monetary topics through financial literacy classes, asset-specific trainings (either in-house or through community partners) and the development of participant budgets and
4. Encourage refugee acquisition of assets (homes, vehicles, education or small businesses) to build individual, family and community resources. 

Deliverables : 

1. Recognize common challenges faced by immigrant and refugee populations  
2. Develop strong advocacy and interpersonal skills  
3. Identify best practices associated with case management and how to effectively conduct client meetings  
4. Capture important information from meetings and check-ins in concise case notes  
5. Identify and access community resources and services, particularly those responsive to the needs of refugees and immigrants.