Our Projects

Case Development Project

(2-3 volunteers | 2-3 hrs/wk | Year-long | Hybrid)

Spanish language competence required Apostle Immigrant Services (AIS) works with immigrants in the greater New Haven area by helping them attain their goals such as achieving US citizenship, gaining work authorization, uniting with family members, and becoming legal residents. YULAA volunteers will work with attorneys and accredited AIS representatives to prepare the documentation needed for filing court and agency (USCIS) applications. Work can include: meeting with clients to obtain information, translation, document organization, and form drafting.

Parental Rights in Public Schools

(4-6 volunteers| 4-6 hrs/wk with flexibility | Year-long | Virtual)

The Arc CT is an organization advocating for the rights of intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals. YULAA volunteers will work to develop a parent’s guide to new special education regulations and accompanying training for parents, along with a PowerPoint presentation version of the guide. Volunteers will research which towns in Connecticut have complied with the new regulations and help parents learn how to advocate for their children when services are potentially denied.

Supported Decision Making Toolkit

(4-6 volunteers | 4-6 hrs/wk with flexibility | Year-long | Virtual)

The Arc CT is an organization advocating for the rights of intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals. YULAA volunteers will create an effective and accessible toolkit for individuals with disabilities to navigate the process of Supported Decision Making (SDM), allowing them to take control of their decision-making processes in various areas of their lives without depending strictly on guardianships or conservatorships. Volunteers will interview individuals who have gone through the SDM process and create short, engaging audiovisual material and flyers to educate individuals and families about their options.

Supported Decision Making Cases -- Data Collection

(6-8 volunteers | 4-6 hrs/wk with flexibility | Year-long | Hybrid)

The Arc CT is an organization advocating for the rights of intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals. YULAA volunteers will collect data regarding Connecticut court cases on guardianship via public records and courthouse visits. Because states are not required to maintain records on this data, there is no existing database of such information. This data collection is essential to properly advocate for the implementation of Supported Decision Making (SDM) in Connecticut, which allows them to take control of their decision-making processes in various areas of their lives without depending strictly on guardianships or conservatorships. YULAA volunteers will document cases that had no due process or advance notice, shed light on how many cases end in guardianship, and scope out the existing SDM cases in Connecticut, if any.

Interview Spotlight on James W. Cooper Fellows

(2 volunteers | 1-2 hrs/wk | Year-long | Virtual)

The Connecticut Bar Foundation (CBF) is a non-profit organization that provides funding, volunteers, programming, data, and collaboration to improve the administration of civil justice. This fall, CBF is launching a “Spotlight on Achievement & Impact” project to highlight the remarkable achievements of their James W. Cooper Fellows: lawyers, judges, and professors of law. YULAA volunteers will interview these notable fellows and craft written spotlights that detail their contributions to the legal profession. These profiles will be featured on CBF’s social media platforms, website, and newsletters.

Immigrant Children's Justice Translation Project

(2-3 volunteers | 4 hrs/wk | Year-long | Hybrid)

YULAA volunteers will work to support the Center for Children’s (CCA) Advocacy’s Immigrant Children’s Justice Project by providing translators. CCA helps at-risk children who have fled dangerous living conditions avoid deportation and helps traumatized children get the support they need to learn English and succeed in school. Volunteers will translate birth certificates and help pro-bono attorneys with real-time translation in Zoom/Microsoft Teams meetings. Volunteers may also have the opportunity to draft pleadings for special immigrant juvenile status and provide basic support for immigrant families.

Prevention Education

(1-2 volunteers | 3-4 hrs/wk | Semester-long | Virtual)

The Center for Family Justice (CFJ) is a nonprofit that offers counseling, legal services, education, and advocacy for victims of domestic and sexual abuse. YULAA volunteers would be responsible for helping put together prevention education training sessions for victims of abuse, adding to CFJ’s current prevention education program. Volunteers will also need to compile resources that victims of abuse can utilize if they find themselves in that situation.

Legal Resarch and Advocacy

(1-2 volunteers) | 3-4 hrs/wk| Semester-long | Virtual

The Center for Family Justice (CFJ) is a nonprofit that offers counseling, legal services, education, and advocacy for victims of domestic and sexuxal abuse. For this project, YULAA volunteers would be assisting primarily with their legal services branch, and would help CFJ’s legal department conduct legal research on the current state and national laws regarding abuse. YULAA volunteers will also be able to engage in policy research and legislative advocacy efforts.

Translation Services

(1-2 volunteers) | 3-4 hrs/wk | Semester-long | Virtual

Fluency in Spanish is required

Nonprofit Support

(2-3 volunteers | 2-3 hrs/wk | Year-long | Virtual)

The Community Action Agency of New Haven (CAANH) is a nonprofit focused on ending generational poverty through service, knowledge, collaboration, and advocacy. In the fall, YULAA volunteers will be responsible for helping CAANH set up a new national website for Equitable Breakthroughs in Medication Development, helping to sharpen and upgrade the website as necessary. They will also help with efforts to increase new donors and host at least one fundraising campaign. In the spring, volunteers will be supporting CAANH’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, working to assist low and middle income individuals with tax preparation.

CT NAP Legislative Advocacy Project

(3-4 volunteers | 2 -3 hrs/wk with Flexibility | Year-long | Hybrid)

Connecticut Foodshare is a member of the Feeding America nationwide network of food banks. They work to deliver an informed and equitable response to hunger by mobilizing community partners, volunteers, and supporters. YULAA volunteers will be responsible for helping Connecticut Foodshare advocate for full funding of the Connecticut Nutrition Assistance Program (CT-NAP). Volunteers will help build a messaging campaign in New Haven to hear from residents and write letters to Connecticut legislators.

Access to Devices Policy Research

(4-6 volunteers | 3-4 hrs/wk with flexibility | Semester-long | Virtual)

The Connecticut Legal Rights Project focuses on providing legal services to low-income individuals with mental health conditions. Currently, one of their focuses is advocating to update the psychiatric patients’ bill of rights since psychiatric patients in many hospitals are not allowed to have access to their own devices in Connecticut. YULAA volunteers will be responsible for researching successful policies in other states and countries that have allowed patients access to devices, as well as any limitations on the policies and how patients have responded. If a bill is raised, students will also have the opportunity to give verbal or written testimony during a hearing if they are comfortable doing so.

Interpretation and Translation Services (Language skills required)

(2-3 volunteers | 1 - 5 hrs/wk | Year-long | Virtual)

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Outreach Project

The Connecticut Veterans Legal Center (CVLC) is a recovery-focused organization that provides legal representation and assistance for veterans to overcome legal barriers to housing, healthcare, and income. YULAA volunteers will be responsible for helping CVLC conduct outreach to connect with other veteran-serving organizations to raise awareness of its services. They will create a calendar for outreach and identify veterans organizations, their points of contact, and any meetings/events happening across the state.

Anti-Trafficking Social Media Content Creation 

(4 volunteers | 2-3 hrs/wk | Year-long | Hybrid)

The Connecticut Human Anti-Trafficking Response Team (HART) was created to focus on and reduce Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST). HART receives 300 new referrals for child trafficking cases each year, and they created an extensive anti-trafficking training program. YULAA volunteers will liaise with HART team members to learn about their mission, goals, and education efforts to provide feedback for HART’s curriculum and brainstorm the best methods for publishing anti-trafficking and safety information on social media to engage with children. YULAA volunteers will create and share this informative and educational content throughout the year and change it as needed.

1. CT Law Enforcement in Schools Research Project

Fact Sheet Research and Creation

(2-4 volunteers | 2-4 hrs/wk | Semester-long | Hybrid)

Resource Document

Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers Connecticut (LCL-CT) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing support and resources to lawyers affected by depression, drug use, stress, and other mental health or substance abuse issues. YULAA volunteers will be responsible for compiling a list of resources for affected lawyers about therapy, counseling, and other sources where they can receive support. Volunteers will also be responsible for reviewing the website, updating it, and potentially adding the list of resources to the website.

Redlining and Childhood Lead Poisonings Research

(3-4 volunteers | 3-5 hrs/wk | Year-long | Hybrid)

The New Haven Neighborhood Housing Service (NHS) strengthens neighborhoods by developing affordable housing, increasing home ownership opportunities, and providing homebuyer education. YULAA volunteers will review YULAA’s 2023 research conducted on redlining and its lasting effects on New Haven as well as the Neighborhood Housing Services’ impact on the New Haven community. One of the lasting effects is in the area of health equity. Examples of health equity issues might include disparities in life expectancies between neighborhoods and hospital readmission rates. Volunteers will also review existing research on childhood lead poisoning in New Haven and the city’s current measures in place to address it. NHS Staff will work with YULAA volunteers to align their interests with the proposed projects and allocate the first three weeks to developing SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) goals.

Communications and Marketing Project

(1 volunteer | 2-3 hrs/wk | Year-long | Virtual)

Canva experience preferred. New England Justice for Our Neighbors (New England JFON) provides legal aid to low-income immigrants such as unaccompanied minors, asylum seekers, and victims of violence. The YULAA volunteer will be responsible for posting graphics and information on the nonprofit’s social media. They would also help with the newsletter and occasionally help write small articles on policy-related topics. In addition, the volunteer would be responsible for designing handouts and graphics for New England JFON’s programs and fundraising events. 

Resource Documents

(1 volunteer | 2-3 hrs/wk | Semester-long | Virtual)

New England Justice for Our Neighbors (New England JFON) provides legal aid to low-income immigrants such as unaccompanied minors, asylum seekers, and victims of violence. The YULAA volunteer will be responsible for creating lists of legal aid resources for clients that New England JFON cannot take on. These lists would include mental health resources and each list would be focused on a specific region of legal aid that New England JFON supports, to ensure that clients are aware of local resources. 

Administrative Assistance

(2 volunteer | 2-3 hrs/wk | Year-long | Virtual)

Multi-Family Discourse Analysis

Partnership for Strong Communities (PSC) works to promote equitable and affordable housing through research, community collaboration, and advocacy. YULAA volunteers will be responsible for identifying public hearings on approving multi-family housing, virtually attending these hearings, and taking notes on the speakers’ presentations. Volunteers will be analyzing the discourse around this topic, examining the concerns expressed by community members during these meetings, exploring the reasons they provide for their opinions, and considering other relevant factors. description

Advocacy Network Auditing

Regulatory Document Legal Research

(2-3 Volunteers | 2-3 hrs/wk | Year-long | Hybrid)

Project SAGE is a domestic violence prevention organization dedicated to creating social change to end interpersonal relationship violence by challenging attitudes and beliefs about power, control, and gender norms and by advocating for victims and survivors. YULAA volunteers will be responsible for conducting research on regulatory documents concerning various topics of interest to the nonprofit, including transportation regulations, client relationship regulations, electronic document confidentiality regulations, etc. Volunteers will also compile these regulations and research into a single resource for Project SAGE to reference when needed. 

Attorney Resource Document

(2-3 Volunteers | 2 hrs/wk | Semester/Year-long | Hybrid)

Project SAGE is a domestic violence prevention organization dedicated to creating social change to end interpersonal relationship violence by challenging attitudes and beliefs about power, control, and gender norms and by advocating for victims and survivors. YULAA volunteers will be responsible for researching attorneys willing to do pro-bono work with Project SAGE and their clients. Volunteers will then compile their list of attorneys into an outreach resource document containing important contact information for each attorney. description

Know Your Rights Cards

YULAA volunteers will work to support RACCE in creating “Know Your Rights'' cards for students in Connecticut. RAACE is a nonprofit that combats systems of oppression by advocating for educational policies that adequately serve historically marginalized groups. Volunteers will research important updates regarding state and federal laws concerning students’ rights when interacting with police and law enforcement in school. Volunteers will then create comprehensive cards detailing these rights and develop training sessions/programs for students to learn about their rights in more detail. 

2. Literature Review and Research 

YULAA volunteers will work to support RACCE’s current campaigns concerning policing in schools, specifically the impact of AI or biometric scanning to monitor student activity, post-COVID surveillance, alternatives to police in schools, and the efficacy of those alternatives. Volunteers will further work to develop communications to the public with the results of this research, conduct literature reviews, and canvas in Waterbury around three times throughout the year to help RACCE’s cause. description

Resource Access Mapping Project

(6 - 8 Volunteers | 2-3 Hours/Week with Flexibility | Year-long| Mostly Remote)

 Despite the wealth of resources in New Haven and its environs, access barriers exist for many. This issue is particularly pronounced for refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented immigrants, and individuals returning to their communities after incarceration. The Resource Access Mapping Project (RAMP) aims to bridge this information gap by collaborating with CT-211, a free information and referral program supported by the State of Connecticut.

As a volunteer on this project, you will directly assist the  CT-211 with completing necessary projects. Your responsibilities may include making calls to community-based organizations, assisting in research initiatives, reviewing and updating existing resource content, and participating in site visits to New Haven agencies. If you are seeking a meaningful and flexible volunteer opportunity, we invite you to join RAMP! description

Legislation Translator Research 

YULAA volunteers will support She Leads Justice research on how the Connecticut state legislature should provide translation services to those who do not speak English as their primary language. She Leads Justice is a statewide nonprofit organization that advocates for and empowers women in Connecticut, especially those who are under-resourced or marginalized. In many instances where pending bills that impact the immigrant community are raised, non-English speakers face challenges testifying because of inaccurate or inadequate translations services due to the language barrier. Consequently, students will research Connecticut’s current policies, and what other states' policies and multilingual countries’ policies to determine what Connecticut can do to establish a better alternative than the current system.

Ethical Storytelling Advocacy

YULAA volunteers will work to support She Leads Justice in telling the stories of women who have been impacted by poverty and how the Child Tax Credit will help alleviate that impact. She Leads Justice is a statewide nonprofit organization that advocates for and empowers women in Connecticut, especially those who are under-resourced or marginalized. Volunteers will interview and capture the stories of women who would like to see a Child Tax Credit implemented and deliver the stories to the legislature and public information campaigns.

Eviction Defense Cases
(5-7 volunteers | 4-5 hrs/wk | Year-long | Virtual)

First Step Act App

Advocacy Volunteer

(2-5 volunteers | 2 - 4 hrs/wk | Year-long | Remote)

Elena’s Light serves refugee women and immigrants across New Haven through various programs, including ESL tutoring, health education programming, and legal advocacy work. YULAA members will serve as Advocacy Volunteers, working with the Executive Director to organize an online “Lighting the Future” speaker series, which will share the success and challenges faced by refugee community members through storytelling and cultural exchange.  Advocacy Volunteers will also work with the Legal Advocacy Coordinator on our “Know Your Rights” series for asylum-seekers, a legal rights presentation with local immigration lawyers and legal aid organizations.