Volunteers

ABOUT AWS VOLUNTEER AND LANGUAGE ADVOCATE PROGRAMs

We are proud to have both volunteers, language advocates and community interpreters and supporting survivors of violence in the shelter, in AWS’s transitional housing assistance program, and in other community-based advocacy and casework.

We are committed to providing the support necessary to empower survivors of domestic violence to rebuild their lives. Volunteers and Multilingual Access Model (MLAM) Language Advocates are vital to maintaining supportive services at the shelter. If you are passionate about helping a diverse group of survivors as they heal, please consider volunteering-we can't do it without you!

Due to our consensus-based, shared leadership work model, volunteers and language advocates can have a significant impact at AWS. We pride ourselves on being run by and for the community, and our volunteers bring healing, diversity, and hope to our work empowering survivors and eradicating violence.

At AWS, volunteers and language advocates have opportunities to engage in direct service, community engagement, and administrative work. 

Applications are open for AWS’s Fall 2024 training! Click here to learn more.

HOW DO I GET INVOLVED?

All volunteers and language advocates must complete our 64+ hour training to become domestic violence counselors. Volunteer/language advocate training is eight weeks long and is offered twice a year: once in the fall (usually September-October), and once in the spring (usually March-April). Volunteers complete 64 hours of training and language advocates complete 74 hours. AWS typically trains 30-50 volunteers/language advocates per year. Currently, AWS is using a dynamic and interactive distance learning model to train participants.

We seek volunteers who can:

  • Maintain the confidentiality of the shelter location and the identities of all clients

  • Commit to our anti-oppression approach and mission of ending domestic violence and human trafficking

  • Complete the mandatory 64-hour Domestic Violence Counselor training

  • Complete the additional 16 hours of training to become paid on-call Language Advocates/Interpreters

  • Make a minimum volunteer commitment of six months and work 3-5 hours per week

  • Be flexible, resourceful, and patient

  • Work with adults and child survivors of all genders in crisis situations

  • Work both independently and on a team

  • Speak one (or more) language other than English (for language advocates only)

We strongly encourage women of color, queer women, transgender, GNB/GNC, immigrant, refugee, and bi/multilingual individuals to apply.