Volunteering Opportunities

If you are interested in becoming a rape crisis counselor, get in touch with your local rape crisis center to see when they have trainings. At mine, there are 2 trainings a year -- one in the fall & one in the spring, at least in terms of "fall semester" & "spring semester". The amount of training necessary will depend on the state (each has a different requirement) & then the specific center. For example, my training was 50-hours because the specific center I volunteer at includes extra hours in the training. We went over things like incest & suicide, which are not generally covered in trainings.

If you are unable to make the time commitment/the timing of the training does not work for you, you should consider volunteering in the office. All organizations can always use the extra help! Especially rape crisis centers, which are among the places being hit by the recession. What you will do while you volunteer will again depend on the center. If there's something you're particularly interested in, talk about that when you contact the volunteer director. They like to play to your strengths! Otherwise, you could go in & do something different each time.

Also, many centers offer internships. These are things to think about if you want to get into the social services industry. The more experience you can get, the better! Plus you know you're doing something to help out, even if it's stuffing envelopes -- someone has to do it!

You can start by checking out the volunteer page for RAINN.

Locating a Rape Crisis Center/Hotline

If you are unable to find the number for a local rape crisis center/hotline, RAINN is the place to look! Part of the invaluable service they provide.

Blogathon Pic Post No. 1

The beginnings of a stormy sky:
I stood under the awning right outside the back door to take this picture as the rain drizzled down. Later we had a full-out thunderstorm.

Blogathon Tunes Post No. 1

If you're looking for a song to listen to, I've happily had Lovegame by Lady GaGa stuck in my head for a while.

Human Trafficking

UNICEF & The Killers have released a music video of a song called Goodnight, Travel Well.

You can watch the video here.

And here is the press release from UNICEF.

I love when people who can draw attention to issues do. Not that I have any sort of talent, but that's the only reason I would want to be a celebrity.

The Interview

I just want to remind you that I'm blogging for RAINN & you're more than welcome to sponsor me!

Yesterday I had an interview for a position as a shelter advocate for a domestic violence shelter. They usually have 6 women & their children in the shelter. The position which is open is only part-time & it's overnight, but it's something I would be very interested in doing. Plus it's the only thing I've had an interview for so far!

The interview went well. I don't have much experience with interviews, but it was by far the easiest for me to do. I even had questions when she asked if I had any, so that was great. She said it would be a few weeks before I hear anything though, because they just posted the job. The top two candidates will have a second interview with the director of the shelter.

So keep your fingers crossed that I hear back from them & that I get some more interviews!

Coming Soon

Also on tap for today ... Making up for missing a few Wordless Wednesdays. Oh yes, I have pictures. Teaser: one is a magazine display that caught my eye.