Volunteer

WHY VOLUNTEER?

Our volunteers become part of a dedicated group of people who provide an invaluable service to our community and to survivors of sexual violence in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Involvement with the Centre gives volunteers the opportunity to gain experience, knowledge, and skills in many areas, including crisis intervention, advocacy, not-for-profit organizations, and a variety of issues related to violence. Volunteers are trained to take shifts on our province-wide 24 Hour Support and Information Line available at 1-800-726-2743.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The responsibilities of volunteers at End Sexual Violence NL:

Confidentiality
Minimum number of shifts on the 24 Hour Support and Information Line per month (changes with number of active volunteers)
Accompany survivors to the hospital or police station when on-call
Attend one monthly Volunteer Meeting
Submit Call Statistic Forms within 48 hours of receiving a call
Commit to a minimum of one-year volunteering with the
End Sexual Violence NL Submit signed documentation as per End Sexual Violence NL policies (Confidentiality Agreement, Certificate of Conduct, Volunteer Contact Information, etc.)
Commit to ongoing self-care
Support Centre outreach, education, and awareness initiatives

OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers are a very valuable resource and we will provide volunteers with:

Training and orientation to perform required duties
Feedback and support from fellow volunteers and staff
Opportunities to use existing skills and develop new ones
Recognition for efforts and accomplishments

TRAINING AND HOW TO APPLY

Our training takes place 3 times a year and is open to anyone who is interested in supporting people in crisis and are in a place in their lives where they have the capacity to do this incredibly difficult work. People who enjoy training are typically those who feel open to learning with others and want to help people in crisis. Training is open to all genders and gender identities. Our volunteers identify as feminist, pro-choice, LGBTQ+ supportive, and empathetic.

All volunteers must be at least 19 years old, able to deal with people in crisis in a calm, effective, and non-judgmental manner, have excellent communication and listening skills, able to work without direct supervision, and support the beliefs, goals, and policies of the End Sexual Violence NL.

To apply for our next volunteer training session, please email sva@EndSexualViolence.com for scheduling details and an application package.

THE GOALS OF THE END SEXUAL VIOLENCE NL SUPPORT AND INFORMATION LINE TRAINING ARE:

To teach factual information about sexual violence
To develop and practice helping skills
To develop the necessary skills to provide a high standard of support and crisis intervention to those impacted by sexual violence in our province

TRAINING WILL INCREASE YOUR KNOWLEDGE BY PROVIDING FACTUAL INFORMATION ON:

The law and sexual violence
Sexual assault response procedures and crisis intervention
Applicable programs and services available in NL

TRAINING WILL DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS BY DEMONSTRATING HOW TO:

Develop and refine active listening skills
Respond with sensitivity
Handle difficult calls
Access emergency assistance

TRAINING WILL NURTURE EFFECTIVE HELPING ATTITUDES BY:

Increasing knowledge and understanding of the impacts of sexual violence
Increasing self-awareness
Promoting importance of self-care