VOLUNTEER TRAINING AND OPPORTUNITY
to strengthen our community response to crime
Are you interested in participating in a collaborative and inclusive justice process? Would you like to respond to harm in your community in a way that builds understanding, encourages accountability, and provides an opportunity for healing? If so, then Mediation Works would like to invite you to train and become a volunteer case manager, coach, and facilitator for the Victim Assistance, Youth Accountability (VAYA) Program.
The Victim Assistance, Youth Accountability (VAYA) program is a community-based response to crime that focuses on addressing and repairing the harm done to people and relationships. VAYA is rooted in the principles of restorative justice: crime creates harm, and that in order to right that harm, it is our common responsibility to work toward addressing the needs of the victims, offenders, and the community. This innovative program is based on the values of respect, interconnectedness, responsibility, accountability, empowerment, listening, dialogue, curiosity and healing.
VAYA acts to address the individual needs of victims, encourages and expects youth to be accountable for their actions, and helps youth connect with a community support system that will reduce recidivism, encourage personal responsibility, and integrate them into the community as positive, contributing citizens.
As a volunteer, you will: meet with victims of crime to offer them emotional support and to share what our program might offer them; act as a coach for youth throughout a series of 6 classes; assist youth in developing meaningful community service; and co-facilitate encounters between victims and youth offenders.
During our training you will learn about:
- applying restorative justice principles to the needs of both youth offenders and their victims;
- what developmental psychology tells us about teenagers;
- childhood trauma and its effects on later life;
- how to speak respectfully and supportively to crime victims
- how the juvenile justice system evaluates the risk of each youth and how it responds;
- how victim-offender dialogues are different from mediations; and
- exploring your own assumptions about teenagers and your goals for working with them.
The training will be held from Friday and Saturday April 8-9, 2011 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. The cost is $30, which includes snacks and all training materials.
To find out more contact Cara Walsh at 541-770-2468 x305 or register now at www.mediation-works.org/pg18.cfm .
Thank you for your interest and support!
Comments