Dear University Partner!
I’m emailing to share the IRC in Silver Spring’s engagement opportunities for Summer 2025 – our summer academy volunteer opportunities and summer internship program. Please pass this message along to candidates looking to gain experience working in the humanitarian sector locally.
2025 IRC Newcomer Youth Summer Academy – Now Accepting Applicants through June 6th!
Join us this summer as a volunteer for the 2025 IRC Newcomer Youth Summer Academy! This free program offers a supportive and enriching learning experience for newcomer middle and high school students. The academy focuses on developing English language skills, strengthening school readiness, and fostering social-emotional growth. The program serves approximately 100 students from Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. Apply here.
Below are the two volunteer roles available.
- Classroom Lead: Work closely with IRC staff to design and build curriculum for one or more classes. Lead classroom activities and support student learning.
- English classroom leads are expected to facilitate instruction Monday-Thursday mornings.
- Elective classroom leads are expected to facilitate instruction (at least) one afternoon session per week.
- Deadline to apply: June 6th at 5:00 p.m.
- Peer Mentor: Assist with classroom facilitation, student supervision, and provide general support during daily activities.
- Peer mentors must be available to volunteer Monday-Thursday from 9:30-3:00PM.
- Deadline to apply: June 6th at 5:00 p.m.
If you would like to play more than one role at summer academy (ex. during different cohorts, or an English and elective lead), please complete this form twice.
The program will take place in Prince George’s County July 7th – July 17th for the middle school cohort and July 28th – August 7th for the high school cohort. The weekly schedule is Monday through Thursday 9:30am-3:00pm. Lunch will be provided (halal options available).
Previous teaching and/or ESOL experience preferred but not required. This opportunity is open to volunteers of high-school age and above. This opportunity is a Student Service-Learning hours approved activity.
All volunteers must complete a background check and attend an in-person training on Thursday, July 2nd from 10AM-2PM.
To learn more, check out this video from our program in 2023 or see the attached flyer. For questions related to this opportunity, contact IRC Youth Program Manager, Kyle Monsees, at kyle.monsees@rescue.org.
Summer 2025 Internships – Apply by May 23rd, 2025
The IRC in Silver Spring is still recruiting Summer 2025 interns. IRC internships give interns the opportunity to work directly with humanitarian immigrants to support them in accomplishing tasks needed to live successfully in the U.S. We are still recruiting for seven departments that are recruiting summer interns. We encourage interested applicants to apply for more than one program. If you want professional, hands-on experience working in the humanitarian sector, apply to be an intern with the IRC in Silver Spring!
I’ve listed the titles and a description of each internship that is recruiting below. You can find the full description by going to the IRC Careers page and filtering by City (Silver Spring) and Employee Category (Intern). Prospective interns will use the same link to apply.
· Economic Development: The Economic Empowerment program assists refugees to become economically self-sufficient by providing career development training and financial coaching. This program assists clients in obtaining education, apprenticeships, jobs, financial coaching and microloans to promote self-sufficiency. The intern will work closely with the Economic Empowerment team to help promote client economic growth and encourage clients to work towards their long-term goals.
· Development: The development team focuses on securing funding for IRC offices; assisting with donor prospecting, research, data collection and grant management activities.
· Refugee Barrier Reduction: IRC programming assists refugees to become economically self-sufficient and supports acclimatization within the United States by providing access to casework services. This role will support the IRC’s economic empowerment program in effectively reducing the barriers of humanitarian migrants to achieve self-sufficiency in the United States.
· Refugee Economic Empowerment: The Economic Empowerment program assists refugees to become economically self-sufficient by placing recently arrived refugees in their first job in the United States.
· Refugee Employment and Skill-Building: The Refugee Employment and Skill-Building Program aims to reduce barriers to self-sufficiency and employment and assist refugees to secure full-time employment.
· Immigration Legal Services: The IRC’s Immigration Department provides high quality, low-cost immigration services, including filing applications for adjustment of status (i.e. green cards), work authorization, naturalization, family reunification for humanitarian immigrants.
· Refugee Walk-in Services: The Intake program is the first point of contact to all “walk-in” clients that visit the IRC in Silver Spring. We provide fast track enrollment in public benefits and referrals to internal and/or external resources and programs as needed.
All selected interns must undergo and clear a background and reference check in order to intern with the Silver Spring office. We ask that candidates make a $30 donation to help us cover the associated costs.
The ability to work in-person at least one day per week is required. Internships require a minimum commitment of 15 hours per week. Summer interns are expected to begin their internship by attending an in-person intern orientation on June 9th, 2025, from 9:15AM-3:30PM. The Summer internship term ends on August 22nd, 2025. The deadline to apply for Summer 2025 internships is May 23, 2025.
Internships with the IRC in Silver Spring are unpaid. Summer 2025 interns may be eligible for per diem reimbursement at the rate of $15/day to offset the costs of food and travel. For information on scholarship opportunities, contact your university or the IRC Silver Spring Community Engagement Specialist at Raina.Walker@Rescue.org.
Thank you and don’t hesitate to follow up with any questions!
Best,
Michalina Kulesza, M.P.A (she/her) | Community Engagement Coordinator
International Rescue Committee
8737 Colesville Road Suite 1200, Silver Spring, MD 20910
T + 1 518 965 3400
Like/follow the IRC in Silver Spring on Facebook.