THE Immigrant Council of Ireland is calling on migrants and councillors from Kerry to take part in the Migrant Councillor Internship Scheme.

The scheme, which was officially launched today, is a mentoring programme that pairs local councillors with migrants who want to learn more about Irish politics and get involved in their local communities.

Following a successful pilot of the scheme in 2018, the Immigrant Council will now run 15 local political internships across Ireland for migrants, between September and December 2021.

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Successful applicants will be placed with local participating councillors for one day a week (or the equivalent of seven hours spread over a number of days) for a three-month period.

Migrants living in Kerry who are interested in getting involved in the scheme must complete an online application form.

As part of the process, applicants are also required to create a three-minute video answering the following questions: ‘Why does representation in politics matter?’ Transport and lunch expenses, as well as childcare costs for single parents will be provided for successful applicants. Migrants must be non-European Economic Area (EEA) citizens. The deadline for applications is Friday 23rd July 2021.

Councillors from Kerry who would like to host an intern of a migrant background should send an email indicating their interest to research_intern@immigrantcouncil.ie . The deadline for councillors is 23rd July 2021.

Online information sessions for potential migrant applicants and interested councillors will talk place next week. The details and requirements for the scheme will be outlined during each event.

Information session for migrants: Wednesday, 30th June 6.00pm-7pm.  Migrants interested in attending can register via the Immigrant Council website. www.immigrantcouncil.ie
Information session for councillors: Thursday, 1st July from 6pm-7pm. Councillors interested in attending should email the Immigrant Council for further information. research_intern@immigrantcouncil.ie