Immigrant Journeys & Cultural Storytelling Writer (Volunteer)

Immigrant Journeys & Cultural Storytelling Writer (Volunteer)

PromiseVoice | Immigration Stories, Cultural Heritage & Human Experiences

Organization: Mentor A Promise (MAP)

Division: PromiseVoice

Location: Remote with NYC-based collaboration as needed

Type: Volunteer Writing, Journalism & Cultural Storytelling Role

Commitment: Approximately 5–10 hours per week

Minimum Commitment: 6-month commitment required

Reports To: Blogs & Editorial Leadership

Works Closely With: PromiseVoice, PromisePages, PromisePublic, PromiseStudios, Editorial Teams, and Community Partners

About Mentor A Promise

Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a New York City–based nonprofit organization serving children and youth ages 5–18 experiencing housing instability through mentorship, literacy, social-emotional learning, educational enrichment, workforce development, creative expression, advocacy, and community-centered support.

At MAP, we believe every person carries a story worth understanding.

New York City is home to people whose lives and experiences span continents, cultures, languages, traditions, and generations.

Behind every journey to America is a unique human experience shaped by family, identity, opportunity, hardship, discovery, hope, and the search for belonging.

Through storytelling, we seek to celebrate these experiences, preserve personal histories, build understanding across cultures, and recognize the extraordinary richness that people bring to their communities.

About PromiseVoice

PromiseVoice is MAP's communications, editorial, journalism, storytelling, and public engagement division.

Through blogs, newsletters, interviews, digital publications, and collaborative media projects, PromiseVoice explores ideas, experiences, and issues that shape individuals and communities.

Our storytelling seeks to connect people across backgrounds, generations, and perspectives.

We believe powerful stories do more than inform.

They help us recognize ourselves in others.

Role Overview

MAP is seeking a curious, compassionate, and talented Immigrant Journeys & Cultural Storytelling Writer to document and celebrate the remarkable experiences of individuals and families who have made their way to the United States.

This role explores the personal journeys of people from Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and communities around the world.

Every journey is different.

Some individuals arrived seeking educational or economic opportunities.

Others left countries affected by political repression, authoritarianism, communism, conflict, persecution, or economic hardship.

Some came to reunite with family, pursue a dream, discover new possibilities, or begin an entirely different chapter of life.

Others experienced migration through circumstances they did not choose.

Yet across these different histories, universal human experiences often emerge: love, sacrifice, uncertainty, resilience, ambition, identity, family, hope, and belonging.

The Writer will help bring these experiences to life through interviews, personal narratives, cultural features, historical research, and thoughtful storytelling.

The goal is not to portray every immigration experience as either a tragedy or a success story.

It is to capture the full humanity of each journey, including its beauty, challenges, contradictions, discoveries, and possibilities.

Key Responsibilities

Immigrant Journeys & Personal Narratives

• Research and write compelling stories about individuals who have migrated to the United States
• Explore personal experiences before, during, and after migration
• Highlight family histories, cultural identities, traditions, aspirations, and personal achievements
• Document stories of courage, adaptation, discovery, and belonging
• Explore how migration influences identity across generations
• Capture the individuality of each person's experience without reducing people to immigration labels
• Celebrate the meaningful contributions immigrants make to American communities

Global Cultures & Historical Experiences

Explore stories connected to diverse countries, regions, and historical circumstances.

Potential areas include:

• Central American migration and family histories
• South American political, cultural, and economic experiences
• European migration across different historical periods
• Asian immigration and cultural heritage
• African and Caribbean migration experiences
• Migration from countries affected by communist governments or other authoritarian systems
• Experiences involving political repression, persecution, conflict, or displacement
• Educational, professional, and economic migration
• Family reunification and multigenerational migration
• Cultural identity and the experience of building a life in a new country

Research should reflect historical complexity and avoid treating any country, political system, or community as having a single story.

Cultural Heritage & Universal Human Experiences

• Explore traditions, languages, food, music, literature, celebrations, and cultural practices
• Highlight how individuals preserve cultural identities while adapting to new environments
• Examine intergenerational relationships and family traditions
• Explore the meaning of home, identity, belonging, and community
• Share experiences that reveal common human aspirations across different cultures
• Celebrate cultural exchange and the ways communities influence one another
• Help readers appreciate both the differences and similarities that shape human experience

Interviews & Oral History

• Identify and interview individuals interested in sharing their personal journeys
• Develop thoughtful, respectful, and culturally sensitive interview questions
• Create opportunities for participants to tell their stories in their own words
• Conduct interviews remotely or through approved arrangements
• Document personal histories with accuracy and care
• Verify names, dates, historical references, and other factual details when appropriate
• Obtain appropriate consent before recording, quoting, or publishing personal experiences
• Respect requests for anonymity, confidentiality, or limitations on sensitive information

No participant should feel pressured to disclose immigration status, traumatic experiences, political beliefs, or other private information.

Writing & Editorial Development

• Produce approximately 1–2 original articles or storytelling features per month
• Develop engaging titles, introductions, narratives, and interview-based profiles
• Create stories that are informative, emotionally resonant, and accessible
• Work with editorial leadership to develop story ideas and publication schedules
• Incorporate editorial feedback and fact-checking
• Maintain organized research notes and source materials
• Support publication through MAP's blogs, newsletters, and other approved platforms
• Explore opportunities for recurring storytelling series

Historical & Cultural Research

• Research relevant historical, political, economic, and social contexts
• Examine how global events influence individual migration experiences
• Distinguish personal recollections from independently verified historical facts
• Consult credible historical, academic, and journalistic sources
• Provide appropriate context without overwhelming the individual's story
• Avoid stereotypes, sweeping generalizations, or one-dimensional portrayals
• Present sensitive political and historical subjects with accuracy, nuance, and respect

Ethical & Dignity-Centered Storytelling

• Center the agency, dignity, and individuality of each storyteller
• Avoid sensationalizing trauma, displacement, poverty, or political persecution
• Respect participants' choices about what they wish to share
• Protect sensitive personal and identifying information
• Follow MAP's consent, safeguarding, privacy, and editorial standards
• Recognize that not every immigrant experience involves hardship and not every journey ends in the same way
• Avoid framing individuals solely through suffering or extraordinary achievement
• Support nonpartisan, research-informed, and respectful storytelling
• Ensure participants understand how their stories may be used and published

Cross-Divisional Collaboration

• Partner with PromiseVoice on editorial strategy, articles, and digital publications
• Collaborate with PromisePages on literary storytelling, oral histories, and potential publishing initiatives
• Work with PromiseStudios on documentary, video, photography, or podcast adaptations when appropriate
• Coordinate with PromisePublic on historical and policy context where relevant
• Engage community partners and cultural organizations through appropriate MAP channels
• Contribute to collaborative storytelling projects that connect people across backgrounds and generations

Potential Storytelling Themes

The Journey to America

Stories about the experiences, decisions, hopes, and circumstances that shaped someone's journey.

The Home We Carry

Stories exploring cultural heritage, language, food, family traditions, and memories of home.

Across Generations

Stories about parents, grandparents, children, and how identity and belonging evolve across generations.

Freedom, Opportunity & New Beginnings

Personal experiences involving political systems, freedom, education, professional opportunity, and the search for a different future.

Two Worlds, One Story

Stories about navigating multiple cultural identities and finding belonging across countries and communities.

The People Who Shaped Us

Stories about teachers, neighbors, relatives, mentors, and others who influenced someone's journey.

What America Became

Reflections on expectations, discoveries, challenges, achievements, and the realities of building a life in the United States.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong writing, interviewing, research, or storytelling abilities
• Interest in immigration, cultural heritage, history, journalism, or human experiences
• Ability to write engaging and emotionally meaningful narratives
• Strong listening skills and genuine curiosity about others
• Respect for different cultures, backgrounds, languages, and perspectives
• Experience conducting interviews or developing personal profiles is valuable
• Ability to research historical and cultural contexts accurately
• Strong written communication and editorial judgment
• Ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality and discretion
• Excellent organization and time management
• Willingness to incorporate editorial feedback
• Commitment to MAP's dignity-centered mission

Experience in journalism, creative nonfiction, oral history, cultural studies, anthropology, sociology, literature, immigration studies, or community storytelling is particularly welcome.

Multilingual abilities and personal or family experiences with migration are valuable but are not required.

Why This Role Matters

America is shaped by millions of individual journeys.

Some began with a suitcase.

Others began with a difficult goodbye.

Some were inspired by opportunity, education, love, or adventure.

Others were shaped by political upheaval, uncertainty, family separation, or the hope of living differently.

Every journey carries more than the story of arrival.

It carries memories of another home, lessons from another culture, relationships across borders, and the ongoing experience of becoming.

A person's journey may begin in a small village in Central America, a city in South America, a community in Eastern Europe, a neighborhood in Asia, or somewhere else entirely.

The circumstances may differ dramatically, yet the human experiences of family, love, uncertainty, ambition, identity, and belonging often connect us.

Through these stories, we hope readers discover more than the experiences of people who came to America.

We hope they discover something about humanity itself.

Success Measures

• Publication of approximately 1–2 original stories or features per month
• Quality, accuracy, and depth of personal narratives
• Representation of diverse countries, cultures, and migration experiences
• Respectful and ethical interviewing practices
• Strong historical and cultural research
• Consistent collaboration with editorial leadership
• Timely completion of writing and revisions
• Development of engaging and meaningful storytelling series
• Contribution to cross-cultural understanding and public education

Team Participation

The Immigrant Journeys & Cultural Storytelling Writer is expected to:

• Participate in relevant Blogs & Editorial Team meetings
• Collaborate on story planning and publication calendars
• Communicate research progress and interview needs
• Maintain reliable writing deadlines
• Participate in editorial reviews
• Incorporate feedback professionally
• Coordinate interviews and storytelling projects through approved MAP channels
• Contribute to a respectful and inclusive editorial environment

Volunteer Expectations

• Approximately 5–10 hours per week
• Minimum 6-month commitment required
• Produce approximately 1–2 original stories or features per month
• Maintain timely and professional communication
• Follow MAP's editorial, privacy, consent, and safeguarding standards
• Respect confidentiality and the autonomy of interview participants
• Collaborate through MAP systems and communication platforms
• Support MAP's mission and organizational values
• Provide at least two weeks' notice when ending volunteer service whenever possible

What You'll Gain

• Meaningful experience in cultural journalism, creative nonfiction, and human-centered storytelling
• Opportunities to develop published work and a professional writing portfolio
• Experience interviewing people from diverse cultural and historical backgrounds
• Greater understanding of global migration, cultural heritage, and human experiences
• Collaboration with writers, editors, researchers, documentary creators, and nonprofit professionals
• Opportunities to contribute to special editorial series and interdisciplinary storytelling projects
• Professional references and letters of recommendation
• The opportunity to preserve meaningful personal histories and strengthen understanding across communities

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply directly through Idealist and include their resume and cover letter.

Writing samples, published articles, personal essays, interview-based features, or other examples of storytelling are strongly encouraged.

Please highlight relevant experience or interests involving journalism, creative writing, cultural storytelling, immigration, oral history, historical research, anthropology, sociology, literature, or related disciplines.

We welcome writers from diverse backgrounds who bring curiosity, empathy, strong research skills, and a genuine interest in understanding the experiences of others.

Every journey begins somewhere.

Every person carries a world of memories, experiences, and possibilities.

Every culture has something meaningful to share.

Help Mentor A Promise tell the stories of people who have crossed borders, carried traditions, embraced new beginnings, and contributed to the extraordinary human tapestry of America.

Because behind every journey is a person—and every person has a story worth telling.

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with our organization. At this time, volunteer opportunities are limited to individuals based in the United States due to legal, safeguarding, data-privacy, and programmatic requirements. We appreciate your interest in our mission and your understanding of these constraints.