Get Involved
Asylees and refugees often have traumatic experiences before, during, and after the immigration process that lead them to experience depression 2.5 times more than the general population and post-traumatic stress disorder almost 8 times more.1 Facing a risk of deportation significantly elevates trauma for asylum seekers and their loved ones.
SÍ works to serve asylum seekers and other individuals and families during the immigration process by providing free legal assistance, mental health evaluations and economic supports. We are looking for volunteers to help with the following tasks / needs:
Volunteer as a Mental Health Professional
Asylum applicants who have a psychological evaluation to support their immigration case are more than twice as likely to have a positive outcome in court.2 However, individuals with the greatest need for an assessment are often those with the least ability to afford one.
This is why it is crucial to have mental health providers – clinical social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and counselors – who are willing to provide case assessments. We also hope to develop the capacity to offer ongoing therapy to people in need. SÍ additionally provides the training and support, but we can’t do this work without you!
Please click the button below to help us learn more about you and to see how you can get involved. YOU can make a significant difference in keeping immigrants safe and families together!
Volunteer as a Legal Professional
The need for legal assistance to immigrants is essential because individuals in immigration proceedings–even children–do not have the basic right to legal representation. This is an injustice that puts immigrants at an even greater disadvantage to achieving basic human rights. Studies have shown that individuals who have never been detained and have legal representation are nearly 5 times more likely to win their immigration case.3
Your expertise is invaluable! Whether you are a law student, paralegal, or practicing lawyer, your time and knowledge can greatly benefit the immigrant community. Please refer to our partner organization, Adelante, a non-profit that provides legal services to immigrants in deportation proceedings. Fill out this brief onboarding application to see how you can best help.
Volunteer as an Interpreter or Translator
Interpreters working with the immigrant population need to be familiar with specialized vocabulary (such as legal and mental health terms), and comply with interpreting ethics and confidentiality. If you already have interpreting credentials, and would like to volunteer your expertise, please click the button below to let us know.
If you have not yet received certification as an interpreter, but do have fluency in a language other than English, you can also let us know by clicking below and we will see how you can help!
Your language knowledge could also be useful in translating written documents, client forms, etc. Again, specific knowledge of vocabulary related to the legal and health fields is most needed. If you would like to assist as a translator, let us know here. Thanks!
Volunteer as a General Community Contributor
If you don’t work specifically in any of the fields mentioned above, we can still use your help!
If you have writing and proofreading skills, for example, we could use your help in seeking grant funds to further our work. If you have technical skills in working with websites or creating online forms, your help would be vital. We often need volunteers to help clients with basic needs such as transportation, English language conversation, etc. Thank you for your interest! We can’t do this work without you!
Volunteer as a General Community Contributor
If you don’t work specifically in any of the fields mentioned above, we can still use your help!
If you have writing and proofreading skills, for example, we could use your help in seeking grant funds to further our work. If you have technical skills in working with websites or creating online forms, your help would be vital. We often need volunteers to help clients with basic needs such as transportation, English language conversation, etc. Thank you for your interest! We can’t do this work without you!
Volunteer as a General Community Contributor
If you don’t work specifically in any of the fields mentioned above, we can still use your help!
If you have writing and proofreading skills, for example, we could use your help in seeking grant funds to further our work. If you have technical skills in working with websites or creating online forms, your help would be vital. We often need volunteers to help clients with basic needs such as transportation, English language conversation, etc. Thank you for your interest! We can’t do this work without you!
Still unsure how to help? Check out our donation page to see ways your donations can help.
1Piwowarczyk, L. (2007). Asylum seekers seeking mental health services in the United States: Clinical and legal implications. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 195(9), 715-722. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0b013e318142ca0b
2Asylum grant rates following medical evaluations of maltreatment among political asylum applicants in the United States. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 10(1), 7-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-007-9056-8
3Eagly, I., & Shafer, S. (2016, September). Access to counsel in immigration court. American Immigration Council. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/access_to_counsel_in_immigration_court.pdf (page 21)