VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

 Everyone says,
"Somebody should do something to help."
BE SOMEBODY!
VOLUNTEER

WHY VOLUNTEER WITH ATVP?
. . . for the opportunity to support and empower victims and survivors of violence.
. . . for the chance to work directly towards creating a non-violent society.
. . . for course credit.
. . . to gain and develop skills in advocacy-based counseling.
. . . for the chance to work with a well-respected, community renown, professional staff.
. . . to enhance your resume and demonstrate your commitment to volunteerism.
. . . to participate directly in feminism and the global cause of ending violence against women.
. . . for the chance to work with a range of survivors across ethnic/racial, religious, ability, sexuality, and gender spectrums,
. . . and thereby to build cultural & diversity competency.
. . . to increase your awareness and raise your consciousness of violence in our society.
. . . for an invaluable segue into a future career in victim and survivor advocacy.
. . . for an unique insight into an important part of any law, social services, healthcare, counseling, or law enforcement career.
. . . to gain marketable skills in inter-agency communication and community collaboration.
. . . for opportunities for service scholarships (see below).
. . . for others, for the community, and for yourself.

VOLUNTEER ADVOCATES

-Our volunteers usually work about 3 hotline shifts per month.

-Many of our volunteers get internship/class credit.

-Many of our volunteers have gone on to work in the field or pursue a master’s degree in order to work in the field.

-Our volunteers do direct client work.

-Our volunteers make a difference in the lives of our clients!

Volunteer advocates complete a 40 to 45 hour training that is offered twice per year (once in the fall, and once in the spring, contact us for dates).  The training includes education about domestic violence, sexual assault, personal safety, advocacy-based support, empowerment, and local resources.  Volunteer advocates are asked to cover three crisis line shifts per month, with opportunities for additional service available.

Pre-Service Advocate training is an intensive study to prepare advocates to deal with the crisis situations they will encounter.  Training begins by explaining ATVP policies and procedures, as well as the advocate's role and ethics within ATVP's empowerment model of providing services.  There is a strong focus on listening and communicating for an advocate to be able to provide crisis intervention to a broad base of clients.  Both sexual assault and domestic violence are explored in depth and make up the majority of the training program.  Definitions and continuums of violence and abuse are explained to give advocates practical training to provide hands-on intervention, and histories and theories of domestic violence and sexual assault are explored to place violence within its social context.  It is necessary for advocates to be open-minded and non-judgmental both in their approach to their pre-service training, as well as the provision of crisis services in order to reach out to a variety of diverse populations.  Advocate training is a major commitment in terms of time and energy, in an attempt to prepare future volunteers to promote ATVP's mission and service provisions.  A $20 donation is encouraged to assist with costs for the Advocate Training Program.

In addition to our regular training on sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking this year ATVP will be training its advocates to work with general victims of crime under our new VOCA grant from the Office of Crime Victims Advocacy. All crimes from robbery, burglary, and arson to identity theft, human trafficking, homicide, and harassment - ATVP advocates will be prepared to offer assistance, support, and referrals to victims from all over Whitman County (Washington state's Region 8). This is an exciting opportunity for both advocates and staff and we look forward to developing our services collaboratively over the next year!