Volunteer advocates listen and provide support, information and referrals to people calling for assistance. Calls can require supporting someone through a difficult memory of childhood sexual abuse, providing support and education about available resources, or accompanying a caller to a local hospital or police station when the survivor chooses to use these resources.

Volunteer advocates receive extensive training and support to prepare them for effectively responding to callers. The training provides information in the areas of sexual harassment, stalking, child sexual abuse, sexual assault and the challenges faced by survivors and their supporters. Volunteers are taught about the options and resources available for survivors of all ages in our communities and learn about crisis intervention and advocacy skills with a special emphasis on the importance of self-care.

Volunteer advocates are notified of calls that need to be responded to through their cell phones from the answering service, allowing them to be on call from their homes and choose from a variety of scheduling options. A stipend is available for volunteer advocates who cover evening, weekend and holiday shifts. Volunteer advocates must be over 18 years of age, empathetic and dependable with access to reliable transportation. All potential volunteers must complete the training and a screening process which includes criminal and DHHS background checks. No prior experience is necessary. 

A new training sessions for Volunteer advocates is scheduled to take place in Lewiston and South Paris starting in March and will run four to six weeks. Exact days and times of training will be determined. To learn more about becoming a volunteer advocate, please contact Justine Plourde 784-5272 ext.111. To learn more about our programming, visit our website at www.sapars.org.

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