Volunteer Training

Thank you for showing an interest in being part of the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Ottawa (SASC). We are always excited to hear more women want to be a part of the important and empowering work we do. This letter, along with this package of information is intended to provide you with some information to make a more informed decision to become a volunteer with SASC. In this package as well as information on our website you should find an outline of what SASC offers; information on what we can offer you through training and volunteering; how you may benefit from SASC; expectations and responsibilities of our members; a copy of our politics; and a self-screening questionnaire. I would encourage you to read over and complete the questionnaire so you can better assess whether SASC is the organization you wish to volunteer with at this time.

We typically run training for volunteer support workers / collective members twice per year. Typically in the Spring through May and June as well as the Fall through October and November. In order to be considered a support worker or collective member at SASC it is necessary to complete the approximately 60+ hours of training. If after reading over this package of information you still feel SASC is where you wish to put your volunteer energy at this time, please call for an interview or to have your name put on the waiting list for our next session of training.

Joining the Sexual Assault Support Centre Collective...

At SASC we are always looking for dedicated volunteers who are interested in becoming part of our collective!

We offer you...

• Over 60 hours of free education!

• The skills needed to do support work with survivors of sexual violence

• A women only workplace that celebrates diversity and accessibility

• A non-hierarchical environment that values the work of its volunteers

• A chance to work with other dedicated women from around the community

• A unique and rewarding experience!

• An opportunity to work collectively to run a Sexual Assault Support Centre

If you are interested in being part of the movement to end
violence against women please contact Heather @ 725-2160 ext.227 or Jessica @ 725-2160 ext.233

How you can benefit from being part of the sexual assault support centres collective?

• you get the training you need to do the work

• a chance to do political work that is meaningful within the feminist movement

• get involved in the community

• you get useful information on the diversity within our community

• a place to connect with other women

• gain valuable work experience

• an opportunity for student placements

• you can take initiative and make things happen

• it can be a safe place to be empowered

• you can take part in a decision making process that has impact on the work we do and the services we provide

What SASC hopes to gain from new volunteer collective members

• coverage of our 24 hour support line

• infusion of energy in our program areas such as YWAR (Young Women At Risk); Women and Torture Program; Groups; Drop-In; Pub-Ed; Legal Advocacy; Fundraising; and Individual Support

• feminist support work

• political / radical feminist energy

• wisdom and information

• an exchange of knowledge

• members who's personal politics and growth include anti-oppression work

• women with visions and ideas and the energy to make them happen

• members who feel empowered to act

• members that will respect other members at all times

• members with a clear vision of what is best for the service users and the collective/organization

• women who will participate in our decision making process

• members who are willing and able to learn with an open mind

To be a member of the Sexual Assault Support Centre each woman is expected to:

• have successfully completed all SASC training

• be able to work from a feminist perspective

• become familiar with the legal aspects of being a board member as part of this collective

• become familiar with and adhere to the centres policies and procedures

• be empowered to act

• be honest to themselves and the collective about the baggage they come into the work we do with and know when not to participate

• participate in our decision making debates

• be able to work alone

• be able to work in a group

• participate in a decision making process with other collective members and always have the best interest of the service users and the organization in mind

• be willing to stay involved even when the organization and the collective is in crisis

• be committed to the committee work that they choose to be involved in

All collective members have the opportunity to co-facilitate support groups and drop-in, do individual support work, participate in committees, pub-ed, drop-in, participate in the YWAR (Young Women At Risk program) or Women and War Program, sit on the Core Committee for decision making and much, much more!

Politics of SASC

Approved
April 1997

As a radical feminist grassroots organization we believe in the dignity of womenhood, the value of women's work, the voice of women as experts on our own lives and equality through the freedom of choice, and respecting diversity. We value emotional support as a means of empowering women to counteract their negative social conditions and oppression. We value working in groups as a means of power sharing. We are committed to anti-oppression work and increasing our awareness around issues of power with reference to sex, race, class, religion, ability, and sexual preference. We continually strive to be sensitive and responsive to issues of power imbalance in our work.

The resources of this organization are committed to:

a) developing emotional support, skill sharing and awareness materials for women in our community using survivor based knowledge and experience.
b) training women in our community in the use of these materials in various group or individual settings.
c) adapting and sharing of these materials to the needs of women in diverse ethnic, cultural, racial, and abled groups.
d) ensuring that we maintain our feminist political analysis of sexual violence and anti-oppression work as well as integrating these analyses into all the work we do.

Our strength is in our commitment to work collectively in decision making, lobbying and support. We challenge the very essence of a male defined political, economic and social system within which we are struggling to create an alternative, not simply find a place in the existing one. Each collective member is committed to acting in the best interest of the organization and the service users. We honour and respect individual differences, challenging oppressive aspects of both our own and other's value systems. As feminists we actively question other therapeutic practices in our community that appear abusive to women or that limit women's choices. In these situations we will assist women in challenging these oppressive structures or, when requested, advocate on her behalf by insisting that the appropriate changes are made to ensure accessibility to all women.

In our Statement of Objectives we make it clear that our overall objective is the eradication of male violence towards women. We are working towards this goal by providing support to women and children who have been victims of violence, be it physical, emotional, sexual - rape, incest, battering or harassment. We want survivors of violence to discover that they are not alone and that their victimization was not their fault. We want to give women the support and information that they request in order to deal with the effects of violence, to heal themselves and recover the power over their own lives that was taken away from them.

SASC recognizes that people of either sex can be abused by perpetrators of either sex, however we work from the perspective that the majority of abusers of violence are male, and the majority of survivors of sexual violence are women.

We have committed ourselves to supporting a woman in whatever choices she may make. This means that we are committed to accepting that only the woman can decide what she needs and where to get it. We will offer a number of forms of support such as individual counselling, telephone counselling, support groups, alternative action (postering, demonstrations), accompaniment to the police, hospital or courts and referral to others in the community. The decision as to which of these choices, if any, is suitable may only be made by the woman and we are committed to supporting women even when they make choices that we might not agree with.

We have tried to make our political philosophy explicit in order to indicate our support for a spectrum of action on male violence against women. Our primary focus is to provide support for women and children who have been directly affected by violence because we recognize that these incidents of violence do not exist in a social vacuum. We also wish to work on the larger problem - ultimately that of changing a sexist, racist, homophobic/heterosexist, ableist, and classist society.

By encouraging women and children to deal openly with violence rather than silently suffering fear and often guilt, we are challenging the "normalcy" of this violence.

We are always striving to involve ourselves in other types of work against male violence. This would include lobbying government for changes in relevant legislation, involvement in actions that make the public more aware for example speaking at schools, co-organizing events such as "Take Back the Night" marches and the December 6 vigil, and working with other women's organization on a local, provincial and national level, including sitting on community committees, boards, networks and working groups such as such as the Sexual Assault Network, the Regional Coordinating Committee to End Violence Against Women and the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres.

Our work at establishing a Basis of Solidarity was done in order to ensure that this Centre is a place where women become involved and contributed their abilities, experiences and skills within a context that ensures that their ideas would be heard. The atmosphere of respect, support and understanding that we offer to women and children who have experienced sexual violence should be no different from the respect, support and understanding we offer each other as collective members of the Sexual Assault Support Centre.

Self-Screening Questionnaire for Potential Volunteers at the Sexual Assault Support Centre

Personal and Confidential

Please ask yourself the following questions to see if SASC is a fit for you at this time.

1. How willing am I to be accountable:

• To the SASC Collective for the service/support commitments I take on;

• To the service users who count on me to be available when I say I am going to be available.

• If unable to cover a shift, I will be responsible for finding a replacement.

2. How comfortable am I working within a collective which is:

A women-only, feminist, self- directed, power- sharing and consensus decision-making, resource-sharing, accountable to service users, anti-oppression, non- hierarchical organization? Our culture includes check-ins, appreciations, constructive criticism, feedback, self- criticism, observation, learning, mutual support, and accountability to each other.

3. How willing am I to commit to a minimum set of commitments and 1 Counselling Committee meeting per month? This means:

• 2 support line shifts (in-office or on pager between 4 and 9 hours) or

• Taking two women on for individual support (any program)
  or

• Taking one support line shift and one individual for support (any program) and

• Counselling Committee Meetings (Monday afternoon or 3rd Tuesday evening of each month for 2 1/2 hours)

4. Will I agree to maintain the confidentiality of service users? Our confidentiality policy means that:

• SASC and SASC support workers do not keep any written records, notes, files or other forms of written material on support users other than anonymous statistics.

• SASC's location is not to be divulged to anyone other than service users who come for groups, one-times or regular appointments.

• Service-Users names, background or other identifying information are not described or discussed.

• Discretion is used when encountering service-users in public

5. How willing am I to declare myself as a Feminist?

• I am - interested in being involved in the women's struggle in every act I make

• I will - be non-judgmental

• I believe - what women tell me about their experiences

• I value all choices for all women

• I commit - to unlearn my own learned attitudes re: power, privilege and oppression

• I create - a safe place for women support users

• I develop - awareness in the community about women's issues

• I influence - society by challenging oppression and anti feminist attitudes

• I celebrate - the diversity of women

6. SASC support work is based on survivor experiences and knowledge. How comfortable am I working within a Survivor- Directed Support/ Counselling model?

women:

• Identify their own needs, issues and concerns

• Have the right to always choose for themselves (i.e. abortion, coping behaviors)

• Have their own inner resources, answers and wisdom to draw from

• Are not victims; but are survivors

• Have different processes and needs for their own healing

• Are not given advice and will be offered options/information

• Have a right to receive confidential support

7. How clear and informed am I on the issues of privilege, power and oppression?

Am I willing to actively challenge, unlearn and work to dismantle my own and others attitudes in these areas:
misogyny; sizeism; heterosexism; racism; sexism; homo/bi/transphobia; ableism; classism; white-privilege; ageism; and other types of oppression

8. How comfortable am I working with and supporting diverse women

of all ages who are cross-culturally diverse (race, colour, religion, culture, belief system etc.), refugees and immigrants, world majority, aboriginal and 1st nations, lesbian, bisexual and trans, disabled, disadvantaged, poor and working class

9. How comfortable am I working within a radical feminist framework where:

The personal is connected to the political, and collective members have a commitment to working against oppression.

SASC as an organization, takes a vocal public stand against oppression of women.

10. I recognize that accessibility is important and that we do not wish service users to be excluded from our services and site. This means:

• Willingness to use other languages other than English including ASL (if able), speaking in straightforward understandable English

• Willingness to provide support services in evenings and on weekends scheduling meetings that accommodate the varied needs of women

Self- Assessment

These questions are meant to help you assess if you are willing, able and ready to commit to SASC. Feel free to contact Heather or Jessica to discuss any questions or concerns or to set up an interview with us. If you are not willing, able, and ready to commit to SASC at this time please feel free to contact us again in the future if you are comfortable with our requirements.

Heather Cuthbert
Direct Service Coordinator
725-2160 ext.227

Jessica Carfagnini
Public Education Coordinator
725-2160 ext.233