The Coordinator’s primary responsibilities will include setting up and ensuring the smooth running of the US Senior Helpline project, providing support and training to Senior Helpline volunteers, actively promoting the Helpline, evaluating the ongoing need for the project as well as exploring the future development and expansion of the project.
Qualifications

Minimum Requirements

• Experience working with Seniors (or Older Adults), setting up training programs and working with volunteers
• Flexible self-starter with excellent people management skills, the ability to work on own initiative as well as part of a team
• Excellent Communication skills – both verbal and written – must have a demonstrated ability to speak in public
• Technical skills – proficient in MS Office Suite and interfacing with telecommunications systems

Desirable

• Bachelor’s Degree Preferred
• Helpline experience a plus
• Patient with a good sense of humor and the ability to engage and motivate people

This is initially a one year contract at 20 hours per week with some flexibility.  Position is located in Dorchester, MA. Remuneration will be relevant to the successful candidate’s experience and in keeping with current non-profit standards.

Interested applicants are invited to submit a cover letter and resume to: info@ciic-usa.org before 5pm EST/4pm CST/2pm PST, Monday 28^th of November, 2011

Due to the anticipated high volume of applicants only qualified candidates will be contacted for interview.

Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers

meet with An Tánaiste & Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Eamon Gilmore

While in New York on U.N. business, An Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Eamon Gilmore, graciously took time out of his busy schedule to meet with the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers to discuss the work of the member centers and the issues and concerns facing the Irish diaspora in the United States.

The Coalition highlighted the many issues faced by its member centers on a daily basis and presented on the various services provided by them to the Irish Community including immigration advice & support and social services.  An Tánaiste showed an active interest asking pertinent and thought provoking questions throughout.

Immigration to the United States, the difficulties faced by the undocumented Irish and the need for future flow from Ireland led to a focused discussion.  With Comprehensive Immigration Reform not on the cards for the foreseeable future, the Coalition asked An Tánaiste for his continued support for both CIR and a solution to address future flow.  An Tánaiste is well aware of the issues and stated it as an ongoing discussion point between the Irish and American administrations.

CIIC President Siobhan Dennehy highlighted some the issues that arise from lack of immigration status – “Lack of immigration status is the basis for most of the workload of the Irish Centers across the country.  Undocumented Irish immigrants suffer many social issues as a result of living life in the shadows including depression, drug & alcohol abuse, family issues, detentions, deportations and long-term imprisonment.   The CIIC appreciates the Irish government’s continued support of the services provided by our member centers to the undocumented Irish and the government’s continued work on their behalf.”

The meeting was energetic and productive and the Coalition is grateful to An Tánaiste for his willingness to meet with them.  It shows recognition by him for the important work being done by the centers in servicing the Irish Community in the U.S.

The meeting ended on a positive note and the Coalition is hopeful, economic climate withstanding, that An Tánaiste and the Department of Foreign Affairs will continue to fund and support the Coalition and its member centers as they continue to play an important role in the Irish Community here in the U.S.

For further information contact:

Katie Fox, National Coordinator, CIIC

Tel: 510.253.3602 Email: katie.fox@ciic-usa.org

Editor’s Note:

The Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers (CIIC) is a national umbrella group for all of the Irish Immigration Centers in the US. The CIIC was established in 1996 to promote the welfare of Irish immigrants in the US at a national level.

The mission of the CIIC is to represent immigrant organizations throughout the United States who are committed to providing services to Irish immigrants. The Coalition provides support and assistance to the various centers in their work through advocacy, education and the exchange of information. CIIC member organizations are located in California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Here is the text of the letter:

For information. Please find attached notification from the Residential Institutions Redress Board to all potential applicants that the Board’s power to accept late applications under sections 8(2) and 8(3) of the Redress Act 2002 will cease on the 17th of September 2011. Any such late applications received on or after that date will not be accepted by the Board. This means that the Board will not accept late applications received after midnight on Friday 16th September 2011.

This is the full text of the notice: 

Residential Institutions Redress Board
Republic of Ireland

NOTICE REGARDING LATE APPLICATIONS submitted under section 8 of the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 (as amended)

The Board is a statutory body established by Act of the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament) to provide fair and reasonable awards to persons who, as children, were abused while resident in industrial schools, reformatories and other institutions subject to state regulation or inspection in the Republic of Ireland.

The Board would like to take this opportunity to inform all potential applicants that its power to accept late applications under sections 8(2) and 8(3) of the Redress Act 2002 will cease on the 17th of September 2011.

Any such late applications received on or after that date will not be accepted by the Board. This means that the Board will not accept late applications received after midnight on Friday 16th September 2011.

Late applications received before midnight on Friday 16th September 2011 will then be considered by the Board in accordance with the provisions of sections 8(2) and 8(3) of the Redress Act.

To facilitate applicants the Board will remain open until midnight on Friday the 16th of September.

The Board will continue its work thereafter until all applications (including late applications) have been considered.

Please note that all applications must be submitted in writing. The Board is not in a position to accept applications electronically.

Belfield Office Park, Clonskeagh, Dublin 4.
Phone  +353 1 268 0600 Lo Call 0845 4264
web-site www.rirb.ie

Download it in PDF format.

If you have any news you’d like to submit for the newsletter, submit it via email to Katie Fox before the fifth of the month.

From the press release, issued by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs:

The J-1 Exchange Visitor Program is a work and study exchange program created to further mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people of other countries. More than 350,000 J-1 visa visitors come to the United States each year, including high school and university students, researchers, physicians, and summer work travelers.

The new site (http://j1visa.state.gov) will greatly improve the online application experience. Everything potential applicants need to know, from how to participate in a program to what the program is like can be found on the new site.

The look and navigation of the new site reflects state-of-the-art web design and plain-language instructions on how to participate in the Exchange Visitor Program. The site features descriptions of each Exchange Visitor program category, so that individuals can find which category is right for them, and testimonials from exchange participants. The site also provides clear instructions on how to apply. Videos and interactive content have been developed to extend the site’s reach into social media. It will give users a faster, easier, and more efficient web experience.

The site is designed to perform well in either low or high bandwidth environments. The site also features an interactive map of the United States for individuals interested in finding out, state by state, how many participants and sponsors are involved in the Exchange Visitor Program.

The new site reflects the Department of State’s commitment to a revitalized Web presence that connects international audiences with the information they need to take part in valuable cultural exchanges, and is the first step in a comprehensive re-design of ECA’s web presence aimed at organizing websites according to how users access ECA information. ECA’s existing J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program website receives the highest volume of user traffic and represents the most popular search item on the ECA website.

If you have any questions, contact your local Irish immigration center.

The following statement has been posted on the State Department’s DV Lottery website at www.dvlottery.state.gov:

**Important Notice Regarding the 2012 Diversity Visa Lottery Program**

We regret to inform you that, due to a computer programming problem, the results of the 2010 Diversity Visa Lottery that were previously posted on this website have been voided. They were not valid and were posted in error. The results were not valid because they did not represent a far, random selection of entrants as required by U.S. law.

If you checked this website during the first week in May and found a notice that you had been selected for further processing or a notice that you had not been selected, that notice has been rescinded and is no longer valid.

A new selection process will be conducted based on the original entries for the 2012 program.

If you submitted a qualified entry from October 5, 2010 to November 3, 2010, your entry remains with us. It will be included in the new selection lottery. Your confirmation number to check results on this website is still valid.

We expect the results of the new selection process to be available on the DV Lottery website on or about July 15, 2011.

We regret any inconvenienced this might have caused.

Click to view a message from David T. Donahue, Deputy Assistance Secretary of State for Visa Services.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why was it necessary to invalidate the names that were selected?

U.S. law requires that Diversity Immigrant visas be made available through a strictly random process. A computer programming error resulted in a selection that was not truly random.

Since the computer programming error caused an error that was not random, the outcome did not meet the requirements of the law, and would have been unfair to many DV entrants.

Q. Is the 2012 Diversity Visa Program cancelled?

No. The 2010 program will continue. The computer programming error has been identified and corrected. The Department of State will run a new selection using all the qualified entries (ones received between October 5, 2010 and November 3, 2010) it received for the 2012 program.

Q. Do I have to submit a new application? 

No. You may not submit a new application. We will use all qualified entries received during the October 5 to November 3, 2010 registration period.

Q. Will you open a new entry period?

New entries will not be accepted.

Q. I checked the Entry Status Check website after May 1 and it said I had been selected. Can I apply for a DV visa?

Unfortunately, results previously posted on this website were not valid because the selection process was not fair or random. We will take the entries of all individuals who sent in their registration during the original October 5 to November 3, 2010 time period and run a new lottery. We regret any inconvenience or disappointment this has caused. We expect new results to be available  on the DV Lottery website on or about July 15, 2011.

Q. How can I check the results of the new selection?

The new results should be available on this website or about July 15, 2011. This confirmation code you received when you registered is still valid for use on the website.

Q. Was the Department of State hacked? Was my personal information at risk?

We have no evidence that this problem was caused by any intentional act. No unauthorized party accessed data related to the DV program.

Related news article: voanews.com – US Apologizes for Visa Lottery Error

May 9, 2011

For Immediate Release – CIIC appoints National Coordinator

The Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers is pleased to announce the appointment of its new National Coordinator, Ms. Katie Fox.

Katie hails from County Offaly and has extensive experience in the not-for-profit sector.  Her previous role as consultant saw her work with a number of organizations on a variety of issues ranging from immigration and integration to family support and education.

She has been involved in a number of national coalitions in Ireland as chairperson, board member and worker, giving her a keen understanding of balancing the differing needs of member Centers with the overall goals and objectives of the Coalition.

“We are looking forward to using Katie’s facilitation, evaluation and planning skills to roll out the Outcome Measures Initiative to each member Center and she assures her continued support to each Center in that process”, stated Siobhan Dennehy, CIIC President.

Katie will be the primary contact for the Coalition and is available to help members share information, coordinate meetings and assist as directed by the regionally diverse Board of Directors.

“I want to be as accessible as possible to all of the member Centers.  I want the members to know that I am open and supportive and intend to set up communication mechanisms to ensure efficient & effective communication between the Coalition and each Center.”

Katie began work on May 4th – just in time to assist in planning for the CIIC AGM on May 15th and 16th in New York and can be emailed at katie.fox@ciic-usa.org.

The CIIC is excited to have Katie on board and looks forward to progressing the aims & objectives of the Coalition.

For more information, please email Katie Fox at katie.fox@ciic-usa.org, or phone her at (510) 253-3602.

• the requirement that police check a stopped person’s immigration status
• the requirement that immigrants carry federally issued documentation
• the criminalisation of employment-seeking by undocumented immigrants
• the provision to allow the arrest of suspected undocumented immigrants without a warrant.

The court concluded that the provisions infringed on the exclusive power of the federal government to enforce immigration laws, and violated both the Arizona and US Constitutions.

The battle is not over yet: reports suggest that Arizona governor Jan Brewer will probably appeal to the US Supreme Court, which may decide whether or not to hear the case. Several states have been considering similar legislation, including Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas.

Among the topics discussed were:

• current immigration trends
• services being provided by the member organisations across the US
• future funding for the member centers.

Here are a few pictures of the day:

Members of the CIIC with Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore. (L to R: Cyril O'Reagan, Kieran O'Sullivan, Lena Deevy, Siobhan Dennehy, Eamon Gilmore, Breandan Magee, Paul Finnegan, Sr Christine, Orla Kelleher, Celine Kennelly)

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore greets CIIC members

The discussion was a good opportunity to update the new government on issues affecting Irish immigrants in the US.