Volunteer & Internship Opportunities
Volunteerism is, and has been, critical to the success and effectiveness of the Women's Resource Center's efforts to provide crisis intervention services to adult and child victims of domestic and sexual violence and its activities as an agent of change. Founded in 1976 as an all-volunteer organization, WRC continues to utilize volunteers alongside staff in the provision of its many services. Every year, thousands of calls are responded to through the hotline.
It is clear that without volunteer involvement, many women and children could not be served. There are many different volunteer opportunities at WRC in both the Lackawanna and Susquehanna County offices. As a volunteer, you might:
- Offer support over the phone to someone in crisis
- Work in the safe house, playing with children or talking with women
- Go to court with women to offer support
- Co-facilitate support groups
- Assist with educational programs to the community
- Assist office staff with clerical tasks
Because of the critical nature of domestic and sexual violence, training of volunteers and staff is needed to ensure an understanding of both the dynamics of abuse and appropriate responses. It is required by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that any person working or volunteering with WRC participate in its formal training program consisting of 65 hours of classroom instruction and 18 hours of supervision.
WRC currently offers this training once a year. Individual training sessions utilize a variety of formats including lecture and discussion, interactive exercises, group activities, role-play, and video screening. There is a fee to cover the training manual's printing costs. (Scholarships are available on a limited basis by request.)
If you are interested in joining with the Women's Resource Center to combat violence against women and children, think about becoming a WRC volunteer. The steps are as follows:
- Request a volunteer application (WRC, PO Box 975, Scranton PA 18501) or print a copy from our website.
- Fill-out the volunteer form and mail to the post office box above
- Attend a scheduled volunteer orientation session
- Interview with the volunteer coordinator
- Complete both the 65-hour classroom and 18 hour supervised components
