Volunteer Advocate for Immigrant Children

Join our community of Volunteer Child Advocates across the country who provide accompaniment to unaccompanied immigrant children and youth, and advocate for their rights and best interests while in government custody here in New York. Join us for our in-person training on September 19th and 20th in Manhattan.

Your Commitment:

• Visit with the child each week, get to know them, and do activities that are of interest to them. (This is mostly what you'll be doing!)
• Help the child think through options and decisions.
• Develop best interest recommendations with Young Center staff.
• Maintain communication with the Young Center staff.
• Advocate for the best interest of the child alongside Young Center staff.

Due to the nature of our work and the extensive contact Volunteer Child Advocates have with children and adolescents, Young Center requires all Volunteer Child Advocates to:

• Be at least 21 years of age
• Commit to serving as a Volunteer Child Advocate for at least 12 months
• Submit all required application materials
• Complete an interview with a Volunteer Coordinator
• Attend and complete all aspects of the Volunteer Child Advocate Training
• Submit to and pass FBI and State Criminal Background Checks
• Sumit to and pass Child Abuse and Neglect Registry checks for all states they have lived in during the last five years.
• Provide results of a tuberculosis test (results must be negative)

Sign up for an information session (required) here:

https://www.theyoungcenter.org/accompany-a-child/become-a-child-advocate/interest-form/