Women’s Center Is Starting Hotline Training

DANBURY — The lifetime risk of sexual assault for females is one in four, while one in six males will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime.

Physical abuse will occur at least once in two-thirds of all relationships. In fact, 25 percent of teen relationships include abuse.

With these statistics in mind, The Women’s Center of Greater Danbury offers numerous workshops, support groups and clinics with the hope of ending the abuse of sexual assault and domestic violence. The center also runs a 24-hour hotline for victims of sexual assault and/or domestic violence. The agency is now screening volunteers for its spring domestic violence – sexual assault crisis intervention training.

Training includes 40 hours of a volunteer’s time. The 2004 spring training dates are April 7, 13, 15, 19, 24, 29 and May 3, 5, 11, and 19. Evening classes are 5:30 to 9 pm, and the Saturday session runs from 9 am until 2:30 pm. Bi-lingual and male candidates are encouraged to apply.

Training qualifies the volunteer to do crisis intervention counseling, which is a hotline position that can be done on-site during business hours, or, after business hours, from a volunteer’s home. It is also a prerequisite for specialized positions such as peer counseling, court advocacy, group facilitation, and shelter advocacy.

Day and evening childcare and other non-counseling positions such as fundraising, clerical support, and writing are also available and require only a five-hour orientation.

During the last fiscal year, 55 volunteers provided 21,786 hours of support to the 18,369 adults and children served in the greater Danbury, including 409 people in Newtown.

Anyone interested in more information or to register for training should contact Lina at 731-5200, extension 200.