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Volunteering is the most fundamental act of
citizenship and philanthropy in our society. It is offering
time, energy and skills of one’s own free will. It is an
extension of being a good neighbour, transforming a collection
of houses into a community, as people become involved in the
improvement of their surroundings and choose to help others. By
caring and contributing to change, volunteers decrease
suffering and disparity, while they gain skills, self-esteem and
change in their lives. People work to improve the lives of their
neighbours and, in return, enhance their own lives (Volunteer
Ontario, 1996).
VS-LC Crisis Support Volunteers:
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come from all walks of life;
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represent all age groups;
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are recruited from a range of cultural
and ethnically diverse backgrounds;
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have very diversified abilities and life
experiences;
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contribute freely their time and energy
in the belief that their activity is beneficial to others
and at the same time, satisfying to themselves; and
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undertake a major commitment that may be
personally demanding of their efforts, skills and time.
They assist at a wide range of occurrences.
Potentially, they can be asked to attend any incident to which
police are called.
Crisis support volunteers are recruited,
screened and undertake training to enable them to provide victim
support.
The mandatory training program is a 40-hour
Minimum Training Standard, as set out by the Ministry of the
Attorney General, Ontario Victim Services Secretariat.
It is designed to equip crisis support
volunteers with knowledge, skills, pertinent information and
competencies enabling them to assist those victimized in their
own communities.
Click here for the full
application package.
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