• create graphics to improve communication and the sharing of information between volunteers and our headquarters
• Help organize and participate in events
• Transferring notes taken my the caseworkers during sessions onto the main server, coordinating between the clients and the caseworkers and translating and developing client’s resumes
• Compile data and through description of all refugee reception centers (current and about to open) to understand capacity
• Monitor changes and keep data about current facilities and their residents up to date.
• Research facilities in the surrounding areas of each refugee reception center which can help the refugees integrate better into Spanish life. (Schools, pharmacies, mental health clinics, hospitals)
• Research information

• Research and compose a thorough report on the current situation in different countries (generally in Africa or Latin America)
• Work with lawyers affiliated with CEAR who use this report to represent refugees who are in Spain seeking political asylum

Glorieta de Cuatro Caminos, 6, 6ª planta

• Tlf: 915980535
• Metro: Cuatro Caminos

• voluntarcent@cear.es

I am being exposed to a professional environment. I would not enthusiastically recomend the internship however I do not regret doing it. Im enjoying the work experience. Cassandra Vogel, Skidmore. Fall 2023

                     Casandra at CEAR. Fall 23

I’m working in CEAR’s purchasing department for academic credit this semester. The team is extremely kind and it’s a great place to practice my Spanish in a new context with new language and terms. It’s also very interesting to learn about how Spanish office culture is compared to the US and being able to talk with my coworkers about their lives as working professionals in Spain. Marlena Broeker, Tufts. Spring 2023

            I chose to work as an administrative assistant for the Comisión Española para la Ayuda al Refugiado because I wished to further my sociological interest in the impact of life experience one’s psychology and values, I wished to give back during a time studying abroad in which I would experience many privileges, and because I wanted to gain experience in the field of refugee aid, which I may wish to enter in the future. I found that my job as an administrative assistant was a bit frustrating at times, as I feel that I have the capacity for more complicated work, but it was still very beneficial. From my internship at CEAR, I learned the importance of working to support organizations with a mission I believe in, the importance of having a good relationship with my supervisor, and how much personal interaction in the workplace means to me. I will take all of these into account when searching for jobs out of college in the future. Zac Churchill, Tufts. Fall 2022

Zac y Lucy   CEAR

          Working at CEAR was a fascinating, enriching, challenging experience, and I am so grateful to have been involved. I am so thankful to the people who made this internship possible, including but to limited to Luis Castilla and the Tufts-Skidmore team, Lidia Guardiola and Mariví Roldán at CEAR, my colleague Dora Granera, and my parents for their encouragement and financial support that allowed me to come to Madrid in the first place. Lucy Tumavicus, Tufts.Fall 2022

                               Tiana Nelson, Tufts. Fall 2021         

            Andrea Chavez y Olivia Lazan, Tufts. Spring 2020

Though my time was cut short due to the pandemic, I was able to complete a research report on the human rights situation in Ecuador, a country from which many asylum seekers in Spain come, learn to work in a Spanish professional setting, interact with professionals of all ages from all over the world, and learn and practice my time management, self disciplining, and Spanish language skills.  It was also an interesting experience to commute to my internship every day as it would usually be during rush hour. It made me feel like a real Madrileña working in the city.    After having this experience, I know I want to work with another NGO in the near future and in my career. Andrea Chavez, Tufts. Spring 2020

       En CEAR con su supervisora Mariví Roldán    

I am working to improve the volunteer program at CEAR as well as relations between volunteers and the refugees they work with. I perform research and work closely with excel and Adobe, helping to create graphics to improve communication and the sharing of information between volunteers and our headquarters. María Nolan, Tufts. Fall 2019

…    María Nolan en CEAR .

I have been working for CEAR for a month now, I come into their Calle Orense office every tuesday, wednesday, and thursday. I am helping to organize photos for their 40th anniversary celebration. This invovles me going through their archieves and ordering each document (video, photo, text) by year in an online hard drive. Eleana Tworek, Tufts. Spring 2019

I work in the Volunteer and Participation team at CEAR, wherein, so far, I have been researching volunteer systems (how they work, the recruitment programs etc) in comparable NGOS to help design a satisfaction survey for all of CEAR`s volunteers in Spain. I certainly am not directly involved with refugees (something that I expected before I started my internship), but I think the work that I´m doing is still relevant to the functioning of this organziation, and moreover my Spanish is greatly improving because I have to read a lot of articles in Spanish, produce summaries, type on a Spanish keyboard (surprisingly, a huge learning curve!) and communicate with supervisors and other interns who will generally not slow down to speak with me. I would reccomend this internship, because it is a very supportive and non-judgemental professional space to improve your Spanish and contribute to a worthy cause. Nidhi Rao, Tufts. Spring 2019

         Nidhi Rao, Tufts. Spring 2019 

Overall, my experience at CEAR was fantastic. I learned a lot about myself, the world and what I want to pursue in the future. From doing research, to helping out at CEAR planned events, my experience was a very holistic one. I think that everyone who does the Tufts-Skidmore program in Madrid should take advantage of this internship program because it truly makes your abroad experience exceptional! Alex Fognani, Tufts. Spring 2018

This semester, I had the pleasure of working with CEAR, the Spanish Commission for Refugee Assistance, within the Volunteer and Participation team in one of their offices in Madrid. I got the chance to volunteer at events in Madrid, work on documents for the office, and assist with the signature campaign by digitally inputting signatures. The office is a relaxed environment, full of younger women who work in various areas of the refugee resettlement process, CEAR information campaigns, volunteer organization, and other areas. If you are interested in human rights, the refugee crisis, or the nonprofit sector, an internship with CEAR is a great way to learn more about these areas and practice your Spanish (without judgment!) Allie Claman, Tufts. Spring 2018

.       Allie Claman & Sophia Autor, Spring 2018

My internship with CEAR was enriching because of the people I met, the knowledge I acquired regarding the right and the process for obtaining asylum, and the actual practice of working in a professional organization. It helped me integrate in the Spanish culture and opened my mind towards the issue of refugees in Spain and in a global context. I am strongly considering going to law school after graduating and studying International Law because of my developed interest in human rights, which this organization allowed me to explore with a lot of insight. Isabel Nieves, Skidmore. Fall 2017

.            

The organization does very interesting and I’m learning a lot just by being there. I’m learning a lot about the refugee crisis and how NGOs run. I shadow different people but don’t have any projects I’m working on. Rebecca Hutchinson, Tufts. Spring 2016

My experience working at CEAR was very informative and eye-opening. Although I did not get to work in the exact area I would have liked, I learned lot about the work environment in Spain as well as about the migrant crisis.       I enjoyed my time there with the other interns and co-workers. I know that this experience will definitely help my career in the future and I am glad my Spanish was able to hold up in a professional work environment. I would recommend the organization to other students. Avni Mittal, Tufts. Spring 2016

My experience reading human rights reports on key countries and summarizing them in Spanish has given me indispensible Spanish writing experience, as well as a greater knowledge of the refugee situation and life in other countries. I spent the first few weeks reorganizing the legal archive, which was not as exciting as what I am doing now, but I was still able to practice my Spanish and learn from the people around me. Ali Feinswog, Tufts. Spring 2016

.               Nicole Arata, Tufts. Spring 2016

One of the most important benefits from my time at CEAR has been the improvement in my Spanish. I loved working with CEAR and it showed me a different side of how refugee resettlement can work, a perspective that I will incorporate into my future work with refugees. Tori Martin, Tufts. Spring 2015