Union County Rape Crisis Center: Looking for Volunteer Advocates

The Union County Rape Crisis Center is looking for dedicated individuals who are interested in helping survivors of sexual violence. A training will be offered September 3, 2013 – October 31, 2013 on Tuesday, Thursday, and/or Monday evenings from 6:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. in Westfield, NJ.

What is Required to be a Confidential Sexual Violence Volunteer/Advocate?

• Resident of Union County

• 18 years of age or older

• Valid U.S. driver’s license

• Personal (own) means of transportation (i.e. a car)

• Informal interview (during business hours of 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.)

• Successful completion of 59.5 hours of state-mandated Advocate training.

• Successful completion of state certification requirements.

• Commitment to volunteer for a period of at least one year.

• Commitment to at least three hotline shifts per month.

• Regular attendance at monthly volunteer meetings.

If you meet these requirements and are interested in becoming a Volunteer Confidential Sexual Violence Advocate, please phone us at (908) 233-7273 or email rcc@ucnj.org.

NJ Coalition Against Sexual Assault; Annual Meeting (2012)

Stacy Kievning (featured 2nd to last on the right) was honored by the Union County Rape Crisis Center on September 12, 2012 at an annual meeting hosted by the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Stacy is a Confidential Sexual Violence Advocate with the Union County Rape Crisis Center (UCRCC) in Westfield, NJ. She has been working with the Center since 2006, when she started as a volunteer but soon after commenced employment as a Field Advocate. What makes Stacy stand out is her level of commitment and dedication to the field of rape care. On average, Stacy offers between 50-60 hours of hotline coverage per week. She far surpasses what is required and expected of her. She is a true gem, a model Advocate, and deserves to be acknowledged and celebrated.

Featured Advocate of the Month

Amy B.

I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to train as a Confidential Sexual Violence Advocate. I had been thinking about volunteering for a long time, but was not sure of my options or how to go about doing it. When I saw an ad that the Union County Rape Crisis Center needed people, something just resonated with me. Going into this initially, I was not sure what to expect, but I knew that I wanted to help and give back to others in some way.

I have had times of personal crisis where the kindness of strangers made all the difference. These people asked for no recognition or reward. They were simply there to listen and provide support. In those moments when things seemed darkest and beyond my control, these people and their support served as a powerful catalyst to help me endure. Looking back at those experiences, I feel nothing but gratitude. These people are such an inspiration, so giving of themselves in my time of need. It inspired me to want to help others, to aspire to be a person who could be there for another in their time of need.

There are many ways to volunteer, but I really wanted to devote my time and energy to a cause that I fully believe in and support. I also wanted to try and find something where my help was truly needed, and to serve in an area that might be difficult for some to give of themselves emotionally. My life has been impacted by sexual violence. It is disheartening to admit that I know more people than not who have been victims of sexual assault, incest, molestation, and sexual harassment. I am very much aware of how the aftermath of sexual violence spills over into many aspects of a person’s life, as well as into the lives of the people around them. I wanted to do something about it.

Attending the certification classes to become a Confidential Sexual Violence Advocate has been a privilege. I have learned a tremendous amount in a relatively short period of time and feel I have become a better person because of it. As I had mentioned, I was not sure what to expect when I embarked on this journey. The skills and information I have learned during my training have been humbling and empowering, spilling over into my everyday life. I have learned tools to improve the way I listen, empathize, and communicate with others. I have learned how society and culture impact sexual violence. This training has equipped me with skills that I hope to never stop building upon to help me effectively serve victims of sexual violence, as well as the people in my life outside of being a Confidential Sexual Violence Advocate.

Another remarkable aspect of the training was being able to learn from and interact with such amazing people. Every so often I would take a step back and really look around the room during class—I recognized the whole experience as something very special. There are not many places where I have seen a group of such strong, powerful women there for the sole purpose of educating and helping others. There was no competition, just women supporting one another.

Over the course of training, I began to better understand the role of a Confidential Sexual Violence Advocate. When I said I wanted to do something about the problem of sexual violence, I knew the scope was so much larger than I could solve as an individual. I know it is not my job to take on another person’s problems as my own, but it means a lot to me that I could be there for support and to help them explore their own coping mechanisms and options in the midst of crisis, arming them with knowledge and empowering them to make their own decisions.

Another service of the Union County Rape Crisis Center that appealed to me is their public outreach program. While a single person cannot stop the epidemic of sexual violence, a network of people educating the public about facts and myths about the subject is a small but important step in sowing the seeds of change over time. In conjunction with the work being done by the Confidential Sexual Violence Advocates, this provided me with hope that maybe the work we are doing as a whole might somehow spark a fundamental change for the better somewhere down the line.

Working with survivors has been a life-changing experience for me. It is an honor to be a Confidential Sexual Violence Advocate. Thank you for giving me this chance to serve.

EDUCATION

The Center's mission is to implement primary prevention throughout Union County. The Green Dot Bystander Intervention strategy is currently being used to achieve this goal.

The focus of the Green Dot strategy is to change the attitudes and behaviors that lead to violence by training individuals to become proactive bystanders. A Green Dot is any behavior, choice, word, or attitude that promotes safety and discourages violence.

The Green Dot strategy is based on the belief that no one has to do everything but everyone has to do something. It capitalizes on the power of peer and cultural influence. It strives to connect students to the issue of violence prevention and helps them to believe that they play a necessary part in addressing it.

The Green Dot Network of Union County is a coalition which meets to support, sustain, and expand local Green Dot efforts. The hope is that by implementing Green Dot in the Union County community, acts of violence will be greatly reduced.

The Center is not only utilizing the Green Dot strategy to implement prevention messaging but it is also using Media Literacy.

Media Literacy is a strategy which teaches students to develop critical thinking skills which in turn help them navigate the negative dimensions of popular culture. Students analyze and evaluate how media shapes gender roles and impacts self image and relationships.

As a Center, we are excited about both of these new community education endeavors. If you are interested in learning more, please do not hesitate to contact us at (908) 233-7273.

Union County Rape Crisis Center

Looking for Volunteer Advocates

Volunteer Application

NJ Coalition Against Sexual Assault; Annual Meeting (2012)

Graduation- 2012 Confidential Sexual Violence Advocate Training

Graduation- 2012 Confidential Sexual Violence Advocate Training

Monthly Confidential Sexual Violence Advocate Meeting

Certification Review

Certification Review

Certification Review

"Advocate Squares" Game

"Advocate Squares" Game

Green Dot Primary Prevention Program

Green Dot Primary Prevention Program