Volunteer Coordinator
The Volunteer Coordinator will oversee the training and management of community volunteers. In addition, they will coordinate with other staff members to match volunteers with anticipated client needs and establish procedures to increase volunteer retention and efficiency. This is a part-time, salaried position, starting March 2019, with the potential to transition to full-time in the future.
For more information, see this job description. To be considered for this position, submit your resume and cover letter to Lauren Snodgrass at lauren.snodgrass@canopynwa.org no later than March 1.
Employment Specialist
The Employment Specialist will guide Canopy clients along the path to employment as they seek rapid self-sufficiency within their designated resettlement period. They will provide a full range of support services including job training and job coaching and also, work within the business community to develop employment opportunities and promote the hiring of clients. The position available will be salaried, full time and also start in March 2019.
For more information, see this job description. To be considered for this position, submit your resume and cover letter to Khalid Ahmadzai at khalid.ahmadzai@canopynwa.org no later than March 1.
Other Ways to Get Involved
Not looking for a job? There are other ways you can help support the work of Canopy Northwest Arkansas.
1. Take Online Survey
Up until this year, Canopy’s focus has been on helping refugee families get on their feet in the first 90-180 days. Over the next 4-5 months, they are working to develop a Long Welcome Strategy. This strategy will lay out a vision for how Canopy can collaborate with the community to support and surround refugee families along their journeys toward full integration. What does refugee integration look like to you? What does it mean for your refugee neighbors to belong to our community? What do you want to see from them? What do you want to see from Canopy? You can help inform the strategy by taking taking this short 4-question survey.
2. Form a Co-sponsor Team
You can form a team from your workplace, your school, your church—or just a group of your friends. Canopy will match you with a refugee family in their pipeline and you’ll join them in preparing for their arrival. Once they’re here, you’ll become their first friends and you’ll mentor them for the first six months in the country as they learn how to navigate their new community, get plugged into resources and find jobs. This is a life-changing, life-giving experience that you do not want to miss! If this sounds like it might be for you, email Lauren Snodgrass at lauren.snodgrass@canopynwa.org to sign up.
3. Sign up to be a Mentor
Mentor a refugee child in Canopy’s after-school program. The After School Buddies Program needs volunteers for the spring semester! You will be matched with a refugee student and will meet with them one afternoon a week to work on English, learn about US culture, help them with their homework and mentor them. This program is run by Students for Refugees at the University of Arkansas, but you do not need to be a college student to volunteer. Anyone 18 and older is welcome to apply. If you are interested, please email Amanda Fleming at agf001@email.uark.edu for more information.
According to Canopy’s website, as many as 56 new refugees will be arriving in Northwest Arkansas this year, from all over the world, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and others—let’s all take an active role in helping them fully integrate into our beautiful community.
