Deportation Repair Project: Volunteer Recruitment

We need you!

The Deportation Repair Project needs volunteers for the Summer 2012 Campaign to End Unjust Deportation. We are looking for:

• Interviewers to conduct interviews in Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Somali, English, Amharic and Cantonese.
• Videographers to record and edit video and create digital narratives of families impacted by deportation.
• Graphic designers to create promotional materials, instructional guides, and info-graphics to educate impacted communities and the public at large about deportation policies.
• Law students to request public and private records, synthesize legal and case materials, and provide narrative structure to complex deportation laws and effects.

To apply for a volunteer position, send your resume and a cover letter that describes (1) the preferred volunteer position, (2) why you want to volunteer and (3) what skills you bring to the project. Nothing fancy, just the facts. Send these materials to repair@ilgrp.com by April 30, 2012, 6pm PT. The volunteer positions are competitive. If you have any questions, please email them to repair@ilgrp.com.

What is the Deportation Repair Project?

The Deportation Repair Project is a campaign that tells the personal and legal stories of individuals who have been deported from the United States under the Criminal Alien Program. The purpose is to introduce the human beings harmed by the politically impenetrable “criminal alien” moniker and permit a discussion to take place about the impact deportation has on real people -not media or political caricatures.

What will the Deportation Repair Project do?

We are creating dossiers of deportation. Each dossier will be a collection of video capsule testimony of the deported individual and left-behind family, the legal documents authorizing the deportation, statement or testimony from any victims of the individual’s crime, a written narrative of the case and a video summary provided by an attorney describing the case. As much as possible, the documents and testimony will speak for themselves to allow viewers to draw their own conclusion about the impacts our deportation policy has on the Pacific Northwest.

Who is organizing the Deportation Repair Project?

A growing network of allies in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest including the law firm Immigrant Law Group, the Center for Intercultural Organizing, the ACLU of Oregon and the Oregon Justice Resource Center, among others.

What will volunteers do?

Based on interests and qualifications, volunteers will be assigned to one of several teams: interview teams, the training team, and the media team. The project is based in Portland, Oregon and intended to focus on immigrant communities in the Pacific Northwest.

• An interview team consists of several volunteers: a designated interviewer proficient in the language, a few videographers, and a legal consultant who will collect documents for the case, draft content for the case, and make necessary FOIA or Oregon Open records requests. Interview teams will specialize in outreach to particular immigrant communities (for example, the Spanish language interview teams will conduct outreach to Mexican, Central American, and South American immigrant communities in Oregon). There will be several interview teams doing outreach in different languages.
• The training team consists of experienced interviewers, historians, and technical advisers and will provide basic training on conducting short form oral history interviews, culturally appropriate interviewing styles, and videography. Training is mandatory for all volunteers.
• The media team will create media events, collaborate with host organizations to stage instructional showings of the completed project, and create a core curriculum for activists to use in training others on how to end unjust deportations.

Will there be training for volunteers?

Yes. There will be mandatory training for volunteers. The training will provide basic interviewing and videography skills. The mandatory training will take place all day on May 19 in Portland.

Do I need to know how to shoot film or interview?

No. We need volunteers who are capable, committed, culturally aware, and willing to put in the time to make the project happen. Good language skills and listening skills are the most important skills. That said, tell us if you have got experience in interviewing or shooting or editing film!

What is the time commitment for a volunteer?

Volunteering is a big commitment. The Deportation Repair Project will rely on volunteers to make it work. Volunteers for specific interview teams will probably spend about 40 hours over the course of the summer conducting interviews, recording, and editing.

What is the time line for the Deportation Repair Project?

Volunteer applications are due April 30. The mandatory training is May 19 (with a follow up training TBD for June). Interviewing will take place in June, July, and wrap up in August.

Who is funding the project?

The Deportation Repair Project is a network of allies, each one doing what it can to End Unjust Deportation. The law firm Immigrant Law Group is donating staff support, computers, coordination and office space to the project.

How will you identify the individuals to be interviewed?

We will select individuals based on a wide variety of factors. We will focus on individuals with a connection to Oregon, though we will consider other individuals. If you know someone who was deported who would be willing to share his or her story with us, please email us at repair@ilgrp.com.

Where can I get more information about the Deportation Repair Project?

Updates will be posted to ilgrp.com