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Why should you be a hotline/advocate volunteer with the DC Rape Crisis Center?
Volunteers
enable the DC Rape Crisis Center to be available for sexual assault survivors,
24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Volunteering at DCRCC is a great way to develop
and improve counseling skills, learn about the issue of sexual assault, and help
our community heal from the pain of rape.
What
do Center volunteers do?
As
a volunteer, you would be responsible for staffing our 24-hour crisis hotline
and serving as an advocate at DC area hospitals (though primarily Howard University
Hospital), police stations and in court.
The
Training
The
training covers crisis counseling, medical, and legal issues related to sexual assault.
It includes lectures and discussions as well as role-plays to practice
counseling techniques. We also
address social issues which impact both our clients and our ability to be there
for them, including racism, homophobia, and cross-cultural counseling.
DCRCC
holds three trainings per year, typically in September, January and May.
Our
trainings are eight weeks in length, two nights a week--Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Included
within the eight-week training, there are two
mandatory Saturday classes. These trainings allow us to spend a day at
Howard University Hospital familiarizing trainees with the SANE (Sexual Assault
Nurse Examiners) program and the role of the advocate, as well as a day-long
training devoted to addressing ISM’s (racism, sexism, classism, homophobism,
etc.) - how they affect our work as volunteers, the clients with whom we work,
and the systems with whom they interact.
The Commitment
After
completing the training, we ask our volunteers to commit to a
year of volunteering, which includes taking four
shifts a month: two hotline and two advocacy. The DC Rape Crisis Center is aware of the reality of
vicarious trauma and burnout; as such, we seek to actively equip our volunteers
with self-care techniques and supervision forums in which to process calls and
answer questions that arise during shifts.
Therefore, we ask that you attend all
supervision sessions. These
sessions are held at the Center on the second Monday and Wednesday of each
month.
To
Apply
Please
complete the Volunteer Application and send it, along with a copy of your
resume, to the DC Rape Crisis Center. Once your application is received,
you will be contacted to schedule an interview prior to the next training
sessions.
DCRCC
Volunteer Department
P.O.
Box 34125
Washington,
DC 20043
Fax:
(202) 387-3812
E-mail:
volunteer@dcrcc.org
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Other
Volunteer Opportunities at DCRCC
-
"Take
Back the Night" (April)
-
"Gala"
(the annual fundraising event)
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Periodic
mailings, other administrative tasks
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Any
professional skills (i.e., computer proficiency, legal assistance,
website design)
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