SACOMSS will be training new volunteers in May 2008 for the Helpline branch. We will be holding information sessions and interviews at various dates and times in April. If you are interested in training please e-mail us at recruitment@sacomss.org!
SACOMSS is divided into four branches, Crisis Intervention, Support Groups, Accompaniment Team, and Outreach. All volunteers are trained for one or more of the four branches, and do regular work for their respective branch.
In addition, volunteers give their time to various of the Centre's other activities and committees promoting awareness of sexual violence in Montreal and at McGill. These include the Community Links team, the Political Action team and the Special Projects committee. Big Events you can help with include the annual memorial service for the December 6th Ecole Polytechnique massacre, and Fire With Water, an art show displaying responses and resistance to sexual violence.
Volunteering for SACOMSS will seriously involve you in your community. We give sensitivity training to campus groups such as fraternities and sororities, freshman orientation leaders, and the student administration. We run workshops on issues surrounding sexual assault and skills such as active listening for other community organisations, such as the Yellow Door's Elderly Project and McGill's Refugee Project. And every first-year student in Rez now encounters SACOMSS through The Residence Project, bringing together SACOMSS, Queer McGill, the Trans-Gendered Alliance and residence floor fellows to lead discussions on topics surrounding gender, sexuality and violence.
Training for various branches takes place at the start of Fall and Winter semesters. Training is between 30-40 hours (depending on the branch), spread over the first one or two months of each semester. Sessions will be weekdays, in the evening, and weekends during the day.
Volunteering for SACOMSS is a committment. The training reflects this, giving you the skills and experience to deal with sexual assault. We'll cover such topics as sexual assault (101), anti-oppression (101), and legal procedures, as well as skills such as active listening and group facilitation. Afterward, because our structure is non-hierarchical, all volunteers can participate in the running of the Centre, taking on leadership roles and beginning new projects.
Volunteering at SACOMSS means abiding by a mandate which extends beyond issues of only sexual violence.
SACOMSS' mandates defines the Centre as a pro-survivor, pro-feminist, anti-racist, anti-ableist, anti-classist, queer-positive, trans-positive and anti-oppressive organization. These mandates ensure that SACOMSS provides a safe, accessible and non-judgmental space for members of many different communities and identifications.
In practice, this means we maintain a non-violent environment. We respect everyone's personal space, leaving room for everyone to speak and to finish speaking. We support and believe all survivors (and each other). We believe that an aggressor is responsible for violent acts, not the survivor of that violence. We believe we can build a culture emptied of oppression, and together we can gain the skills to treat each other justly.
As an organization, SACOMSS is constantly working to actively pursue its mandates within both the McGill and Montreal communities. The organization recognizes that many power imbalances exist in society, and it works not only to address and reconcile these imbalances, but also to empower members of disadvantaged groups. One of the Centre's most significant achievements is the fact that all of the services it provides are free of charge. This makes SACOMSS unique amongst many similar services in Montreal, and makes it widely accessible.
SACOMSS services are anonymous and of a supportive nature. We do not provide therapy or private counselling.
Copyright © 2006 Sexual Assault Center of McGill Students Society (SACOMSS)