Key Takeaways
• Young Center seeks Volunteer Child Advocates in Michigan to support unaccompanied immigrant children through complex legal journeys.
• Volunteers must commit for at least 12 months, pass strict background checks, and complete official training sessions starting June 2025.
• Bilingual advocates in languages like Spanish, Q’eqchi’, and Dari are urgently needed due to Michigan’s growing diversity among immigrant children.
Unaccompanied immigrant children face many serious challenges when they arrive in the United States 🇺🇸, especially if they have no parent or legal guardian to look after them. In Michigan, the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights is taking action to help these children. The group is inviting people from Michigan to become Volunteer Child Advocates, a crucial role in supporting and securing the welfare of unaccompanied children throughout their immigration journey.
Why Now? Understanding the Current Situation
The need for these volunteers is more important than ever. Immigration changes under the Trump administration led to cuts in government support for non-citizens, including stopping many refugee services and ending legal assistance for migrant children who come to the United States 🇺🇸 alone. These policy shifts left children even more vulnerable and in need of direct support and advocacy.
Unaccompanied children often arrive after leaving dangerous situations in their home countries. They could be escaping violence, gangs, war, or family abuse. Others may come to join family members or seek better opportunities. But once they’re in U.S. custody, their futures depend on long and often confusing legal processes—processes that can last several months or even longer. During these months, children have to wait in government shelters, and the experience is usually scary and lonely.
This is where Volunteer Child Advocates become so important. They make sure each child is heard and seen, and that their best interests are protected, even when no family member is present to help.
What Is a Volunteer Child Advocate?
The role of a Volunteer Child Advocate at the Young Center is to:
– Visit the child in federal custody once a week
– Go to court hearings and meetings relating to the child’s case
– Speak up for the child’s safety and long-term well-being
– Make sure their voice is included in any decisions about their future
Volunteers act as trusted adults during a confusing and stressful period in these children’s lives. They help the children understand what’s happening, and they tell the judges and government officials what the child wants and needs most.
Who Can Volunteer?
The Young Center welcomes a wide range of people to become Volunteer Child Advocates in Michigan. For this reason, they look for applicants of all backgrounds. This means you don’t need to be a lawyer, teacher, or social worker to help—a caring heart, responsibility, and a willingness to learn are most important.
To become a Volunteer Child Advocate, you must meet certain requirements:
– Be at least 21 years old
– Commit to the program for at least 12 months
– Complete a detailed application and interview process
– Attend an official Volunteer Child Advocate Training
– Pass national (FBI) and State Criminal Background Checks
– Pass Child Abuse and Neglect Registry checks
– Provide proof of a negative tuberculosis test
– Show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination
The screening is strict because these volunteers support vulnerable children. Safety is the top priority.
The Young Center particularly encourages bilingual volunteers to apply. Many unaccompanied children in Michigan speak languages such as Spanish, Q’eqchi’, K’iche’, Mam, Chuj, Dari, Pashto, or Portuguese. Volunteers who can communicate in these languages are in high demand because they can help children share their stories in a way that feels comfortable and natural.
How Does the Volunteer Program Work?
The volunteer experience is hands-on and personal. When a Volunteer Child Advocate is matched with a child, they’re responsible for visiting the child every week until the child leaves government care.
During their time together, the volunteer:
– Learns about the child’s hopes, fears, and goals
– Helps the child understand the legal process
– Attends meetings and court sessions, making sure the child’s best interests are considered
– Writes regular case updates so the team and officials are always informed
Some children have to stay in shelters for months as their sponsors—family friends, relatives, or other safe adults—are thoroughly checked by immigration officials. This safety check, known as the vetting process, can sometimes last more than six months.
Liliana Vorama, the volunteer coordinator for the Young Center in Grand Rapids, explains that some children travel thousands of miles, leaving everything behind to escape danger or civil war at home. The long wait in shelters can add to their anxiety, worry, and trauma. Having a steady, caring, reliable adult to talk to—even just once a week—makes an enormous difference.
Michigan Needs More Volunteer Child Advocates
Although the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights has a long history—it’s supported over 7,000 children from more than 70 countries in the last two decades—the need for help is not slowing down. The number of children arriving and needing help continues to grow.
The process can be hard for children who are already scared and confused. Many are still dealing with trauma from their journey or the situations they left behind. Sometimes, they have trouble trusting adults, especially if they have had bad experiences with authority before. Volunteers fill a gap, providing understanding, patience, and friendship.
Upcoming Events and Training: How to Get Involved
If you’re in Michigan and want to help, there are several opportunities coming up to learn more and get involved:
– Informational meetings will be held on May 27 and June 2, 2025
– Volunteer Child Advocate training is planned for June 28 and 29, 2025, in Grand Rapids
– Another in-person training will take place on September 13-14, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
If you’re interested, you are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, especially since some sessions, like the one on May 3-4, 2025, have already closed their application periods by April 18, 2025.
The application process is detailed, but this is to make sure that every child is matched with an adult who will keep them safe and work with their best interests at heart.
For those who want more information on how to start, the Young Center offers a full step-by-step guide on their official Volunteer Child Advocate Application page, outlining the duties, training schedule, and support volunteers receive.
The Importance of Consistent, Long-Term Support
A key feature of the Young Center’s approach is its focus on long-term, steady adult involvement. Children build trust with volunteers over time; keeping the same advocate throughout the legal process helps children feel safe and less alone. Because the commitment is at least a year, the group asks volunteers to make sure they’re ready to keep showing up—month after month—for the child they’re paired with.
Long-term support matters for the children’s mental health and sense of security. The Michigan chapter, in particular, has seen how steady support can turn fear and sadness into hope, helping children heal and look forward to the future.
The Broad Impact: Beyond the Courtroom
Volunteer Child Advocates’ support stretches far beyond simple legal help. The emotional and social backing volunteers offer affects children for years to come. Sometimes, just knowing someone cares—someone who listens and stands by them—can be enough to make a frightened child feel brave again.
The impact also ripples out to families and communities. When a child is safely reunited with family or connected with a responsible sponsor, everyone benefits: the child, their relatives, and society as a whole.
Liliana Vorama adds that volunteers help children feel “seen, understood, and valued,” which is exactly what every child deserves. As reported by VisaVerge.com, consistent, caring advocacy shapes better outcomes not only for individual children, but also for the broader immigration system.
Challenges and Hopes for the Future
The need for volunteers in Michigan is ongoing. Policy changes often leave children without the support they need, and organizations like the Young Center must make up the difference with community help.
There are always challenges. More children than ever are arriving, and the vetting process for their sponsors can be slow. Some children stay in custody far longer than anyone wants. The paperwork is complicated, and immigration laws keep changing.
Yet each new volunteer Child Advocate brings hope. They can help a lonely child keep going during months of waiting. They can explain what’s happening, in a language the child understands. They can make sure that a judge hears the child’s personal story, not just their case number.
And even after the child’s case is over, many volunteers say the experience changes their lives—giving them a deeper sense of connection to their community and a better understanding of what immigrants go through.
Why Your Help Matters—Right Now
Becoming a Volunteer Child Advocate isn’t always easy, but the rewards are great for both the volunteer and the children they serve. With government support for immigrant children shrinking, volunteers fill a critical gap. Their efforts help children avoid slipping through the cracks.
The Young Center’s years of experience—helping over 7,000 children so far—shows that one caring adult can change a child’s world. If you live in Michigan, speak a second language, or just want to make a difference, there’s a place for you.
If you are interested, go to the Young Center’s application page to find more details about the program, training dates, and how to apply. Other volunteer and employment opportunities in Michigan can also be found on official sites like the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, which lists up-to-date openings and guidelines for helping new arrivals.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, unaccompanied immigrant children in Michigan and across the United States 🇺🇸 need caring adults who are willing to give their time and energy. The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights stands ready to train and support Volunteer Child Advocates for this purpose. With more volunteers, the lives of these children can be safer, brighter, and filled with hope. If you believe every child deserves a champion, this is your moment to step forward.
Your help today can shape a better tomorrow for a child who needs it most.
Learn Today
Unaccompanied Minor → A child who arrives in the U.S. without a parent or legal guardian, facing immigration proceedings alone.
Volunteer Child Advocate → A trained adult who supports and represents unaccompanied children in shelters and during legal processes.
Vetting Process → A thorough background check to determine if a sponsor is safe and suitable for a child’s custody.
Federal Custody → When unaccompanied minors are placed in the care of government agencies while their immigration status is resolved.
Bilingual → Able to speak two languages fluently, a critical skill for communicating with immigrant children from diverse backgrounds.
This Article in a Nutshell
Unaccompanied immigrant children in Michigan face long, uncertain waits in shelters. The Young Center offers hope by training Volunteer Child Advocates who guide and support children throughout difficult legal processes. Bilingual volunteers are especially needed. Consistent adult advocacy protects these children’s rights and well-being, making a lifelong impact on their futures.
— By VisaVerge.com
Read more:
• Michigan Green Card Holder Jailed in New Immigration Sweep
• Immigration advocates, law enforcement question Michigan smuggling bill
• Michigan Bill could make transporting undocumented immigrants a crime
• 287(g) immigration enforcement program expands to Mid-Michigan sheriffs
• The GEO Group to Open New Immigration Center in Michigan
