[Spring 2025] Individual Development Account (IDA) Intern, IINE Manchester - International Institute of New England

Spring 2025 Individual Development Account (IDA) Intern (IINE Manchester)

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.

All internships are unpaid and correspond roughly with the US semester system:

• Spring Internship: January through mid-May 2025
  (Applications requested by November 29th, considered thereafter until positions are filled)

First consideration is given to applicants that can commit at least 16 hours per week over the course of the semester outlined above. Applicants are encouraged to apply regardless of whether their schedule fits the semester system; IINE makes exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Slots fill quickly and candidates are encouraged to apply earlier than the requested date above.

Please note that this internship will be a hybrid format, meaning that some in-person hours at our Manchester, NH office are required.

Individual Development Account (IDA) Program Internship 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.

Reports to: IDA Program Manager

Location: Manchester, NH

Key Responsibilities:

The IDA Program Intern will assist in the general implementation of the IDA Program, provide supplemental support to program participants and help fulfill the program’s grant requirements through a variety of activities. The intern will:

• Conduct regular check-ins with program participants by phone or in-person,
• Conduct one-on-one application meetings to determine candidate eligibility for the IDA Program,
• Assist with curriculum development for financial literacy trainings and vehicle purchase trainings,
• Facilitate opening IDA Savings Accounts for newly enrolled IDA participants at IINE’s banking partner,
• Conduct one-on-one IDA Program Evaluations with program graduates,
• Assist with data entry and filing, and
• Help with various other tasks as needed.

Qualifications:

• Interest in international, refugee, asylee, and/or immigrant issues
• Patience speaking with non-native English speakers / non-English speakers
• Professionalism, discretion, and maturity in dealing with confidential information
• Language skills in Kinyarwanda, Swahili, Dari, Pashto or Spanish preferred
• Highly organized with great attention to detail
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint

Learning Objectives:

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.
6. Understand the immigrant integration work and the US Refugee Resettlement program, as well as what part VOLAGs and resettlement agencies like the International Institute of New England play in receiving and integrating refugees.
7. Respectfully express and engage with ideas and values in a multicultural, multilingual environment.