Sexual Assault Recovery and Healing (SARAH) Crisis Program Volunteer
Summary
Location
When
About This Opportunity
The SARAH volunteer's role is to provide support to individuals reporting a historical or recent sexual assault at RCMP detachments and emergency departments throughout the Interlake-Eastern area.
The SARAH Worker acts as support for the survivors when dealing with medical staff and police in the following ways:
- Maintain respectful, empathetic, and caring interactions with survivors
- Emotionally support and validate survivor's experience and normalize responses
- Provide information on sexual assault trauma
- Provide information on medical and police procedures/options
- Advocate on behalf of the survivors with various other individuals involved
- Offer information on community services and resources
- Respect and preserve privacy of personal information as required by
- Personal Health Information Act (PHIA)
Survivor's Hope provides 40 hours of free, comprehensive training for our SARAH volunteers to prepare them for the the role and enhance their knowledge on the following topics:
- Trauma-informed care
- Responding to sexual violence survivors
- Suicide assessment & intervention
- Harm reduction
- Medical & legal options following a sexual assault
- Third Party Reporting
- Traditional healing practices
- Child protection policies
Survivor's Hope supports our volunteers in the following ways:
- 40 hours of comprehensive training
- Feedback, support, and immediate opportunities to debrief
- Facilitating monthly meetings with volunteer group for connection & further training opportunities
Our volunteers have varied life, education and work experiences, but all see the value of supporting survivors of sexual violence. All volunteers must be at least 18 years old, able to deal with people in crisis in a calm, empathetic, and non-judgmental manner, and have excellent communication and listening skills.
Time Commitment: On-call weekends, scheduled as per your availability. Typically 1 per month.
Next training dates are taking place:
- Part 1: March 23rd & 24th, 2024 (Saturday & Sunday) 9:30-4:30pm - in-person in Selkirk
- Part 2: April 6th & 7th, 2024 (Saturday & Sunday)- 9:30-4:30pm- Online via Microsoft Teams
Certificate of training completion will be provided after 1 year of volunteer commitment has lapsed.
Volunteer Requirements
Whether you meet these requirements or not, we encourage you to share your interest in us. You may still be a fit for a different opportunity with our organization.
- Over “age of majority” in province of opportunity
- Criminal Record Check
- Child Abuse Check
- Adult Abuse Check
- Driver's License
- Vulnerable Sector Check
- Driver's License
- Willing to undergo a background or police records check
- Access to car
- Valid Driver's License
- Comfortable commuting to opportunity location
- Own cell phone