Become an Advocate

Make a difference in the life of an unaccompanied immigrant child by volunteering to serve as a Child Advocate for a child in Chicago.

Who are Child Advocates? A Child Advocate is an adult who volunteers to spend time with and advocate on behalf of an individual unaccompanied immigrant child while he or she is subject to immigration removal proceedings.

Who can be a Child Advocate? We welcome volunteers from all cultures, professions, races, ethnicities and social backgrounds. Advocates must be at least 21 years old. We have a particular need for bilingual volunteers who speak Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, Hindi or Gujarati.

Is there training or support for Advocates? Before being assigned, Child Advocates are required to complete a two-day training session on child development, communicating with children, U.S. immigration law and issues facing unaccompanied immigrant children. Once assigned to an individual child, each Advocate receives continuing support, guidance and supervision from Center Staff.

What do Child Advocates commit to do?

Visit with the child each week.
Advocate for the best interests of the child.
Help the child think through decisions.
Accompany the child to court hearings and other important meetings.
Gather information about the child’s situation in his or her home country.
Draft a written report regarding best interests recommendations.
Maintain communication with the Project Director, the child’s Case Manager at the shelter and the child’s attorney.

If you are interested in volunteering to be a Child Advocate, please complete and return the Application

or contact the

Immigrant Child Advocacy Center at the University of Chicago
773 702-0349
info@immigrantchildadvocacy.org

Human Commodity

After being orphaned in Morocco, Fanny Clonch was trapped in households where she was nothing more than a commodity. The story of her grandmother, who as a child had been sold into slavery and eventually escaped, inspired Fanny to find a way out. Fanny’s own account tells the story of so many unaccompanied immigrant children who find themselves alone in the United States.
Reported and co-produced by Alex Kotlowitz and edited and co-produced by Amy Dorn. [12:46 min.]

Exodus of One, by Alex Kotlowitz for
This American Life

Just three years old, Georgia was caught by immigration officials when a Milwaukee woman brought her into the country illegally from Jamaica. She ended up at a residential shelter in Chicago. No one knew much about Georgia—where she was from in Jamaica, who her parents were, or how she ended up with this woman from Milwaukee. After six months, a local reporter found her mother in Jamaica, so she was sent back—to the same woman who gave her up. While it seemed like the obvious choice, it worried those who had taken care of her. What does it mean to send a child back to a parent who is willing to give her away? Five years later, reporter Alex Kotlowitz traveled to Jamaica to find out what happened to Georgia. [42 min.]

(Part 1)
(Part 2)

Immigrant Child Advocacy Center
at the University of Chicago

6020 South University Avenue
Room K212
Chicago, IL 60637

773 702-0349
info@immigrantchildadvocacy.org

Web design:
Axie Breen and Brian Robinson
Home page main photo by Tony Armour.
All others by Kathy Richland Pick.