Frustrated by the Administration’s treatment of migrants?

You can volunteer to welcome and make life easier for a West African migrant member of WMW either for a specific, time-limited task or over the longer term. You don’t need a special skill or prior experience–just a welcoming manner and a sense of justice and basic fairness.

You may fill out this form to serve as a time-limited, volunteer “Navigator” to help WMW members make their way through typical activities, such as filling out applications for jobs or housing, understanding communications such as Jury Duty notices or other bureaucratic forms, or being a personal link to help follow up on service referrals WMW makes to partner organizations. Or you can simply be a sympathetic ear or a meal host to someone who is primarily on their own in this big city. We have a special niche for people willing to serve as non-financial, no-liability “Guardians” for migrants under 21 with a special immigration status that requires someone to vouch for their attendance at school or work.

We have Navigators negotiating down unfair medical bills, exploring training and educational opportunities with members, accompanying members to court dates as companions in a non-legal capacity, and reviewing personal declarations for asylum applications. Others simply hold the hand of members who must find their way through those annoyances we all deal with in the face of bureaucracies, whether corporate (e.g. insurance, cell phone companies) or governmental. Imagine having to do battle with those bureaucrats when English is not your first language!We are also lining up expert resources to advise our Navigators in each specialized area. French speakers are particularly welcome, and we can provide interpreters for three-way calls as needed. You can either navigate just for a particular short-term task or engage in a longer relationship.

Questions about being a volunteer? Please contact greg[at]philanthropyleaders.org.