Local Bay Area Opportunities
Check out the list of local Bay Area organizations that work toward ending sexual and relationship violence, stalking, and sexual harassment in a multitude of ways.
Bay Area Women Against Rape (BAWAR), Oakland
http://www.bawar.org/get-involved/
From its beginnings in 1971, BAWAR has addressed the problem of sexual assault with two basic goals: 1) to establish a place where rape and incest survivors could receive the quality counseling and advocacy they need, and 2) to provide community education regarding sexual assault issues.
Our diverse educational programs include presentations specifically designed for children from middle school through college. We respond to community requests for speakers on a wide variety of related topics. In addition, we provide educational programs for men currently incarcerated for violent offenses. BAWAR also conducts professional training’s for emergency room staff, therapists, clergy, educators, and police officers.
What do volunteers do for BAWAR?
Volunteers work with BAWAR in various capacities, depending on their interests, availability, and skills. Volunteers who become California State Certified Rape Crisis Counselors staff our 24-hour sexual assault crisis line, which is available to all survivors of sexual assault and their significant others. Our counselors also provide accompaniment to rape survivors for hospital and police proceedings. While other volunteers have helped us with many things including office support, fundraising, computer assistance, and other special projects.
Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse, San Mateo
http://www.corasupport.org/get-involved/volunteer/
What We Do
Domestic Violence Awareness
Domestic or dating violence/abuse is a pattern of behavior in an intimate relationship where one partner seeks power and control over another through intimidation, coercion, violence or the threat of violence. The abuse may be emotional, physical, sexual, spiritual or economic.
Crisis Intervention
From our 24-hour support hotline to our emergency safe house, we provide counseling, support and shelter for those affected by domestic violence.
Family Support
We’re here for you, and for your children, with specialized services for parents and kids of all ages. We offer physical shelter and emotional support, with individual and family counseling, parental support groups, after-school enrichment programs, safety planning and more.
Legal Services
Court systems can be confusing, but our legal advisors can offer advice, referrals, and representation on many common legal matters related to domestic violence. 100% of our legal clients surveyed reported an increased understanding of their legal rights and ability to pursue justice.
Outreach
Through our workshops, events and programs, we strive to create a community where intimate partners are treated with respect, compassion and integrity. By initiating a public dialogue, we can educate and inform survivors and their loved ones about how to stop it.
South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking (SBCEHT)
http://southbayendtrafficking.org/contact/
Our Mission: Utilizing a victim-centered approach, the South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking’s mission is to ensure the protection of victims, the prosecution of offenders, and the prevention of human trafficking and slavery through an effective coordinated partnership.
Vision: Our vision is a world free from slavery.
Goals: Provide comprehensive services to victims of human trafficking; raise awareness of human trafficking through community education and outreach; and provide professional training to service providers.
[Image from U.S Department Of Homeland Security: Blue Campaign]
Center for Domestic Peace, San Rafael
http://www.centerfordomesticpeace.org/volunteer
Center for Domestic Peace (C4DP) leads a comprehensive community effort to end the #1 violent crime in Marin County: domestic violence. We provide transformational services and programs that protect and enhance victim safety, and ultimately engage our community in permanent change.
Who is C4DP? Center for Domestic Peace operates with three interlocking strategies: 1) Safety and Empowerment, 2) Coordinated Community Response, and 3) Social Transformation.
- Each year, our core services promote the safety and empowerment of more than 4,500 individuals impacted by domestic violence through: an emergency shelter, 24/7 hotlines, long-term transitional housing, support groups, legal advocacy and services, and a ManKind and WomanKind program for men and women who seek to end the violence in their relationships.
- We engage, train, and coordinate professionals from various sectors to promote a coordinated community response to domestic violence within multiple systems – including legal services, law enforcement, criminal justice, health and mental health, and education.
- We take a leadership role in promoting social transformation through technical assistance, education, prevention (including teens and adults), and policy initiatives.
Creating Change
Volunteer to provide domestic violence counseling on our hotlines; facilitate a support group; or join our speaker’s bureau or a community action team to make a difference in your neighborhood or at your workplace. Some volunteer opportunities, such as being a hotline advocate or support group facilitator, require a training course and certification. Other opportunities, such as fundraising and events, do not.
YWCA: Golden Gate Silicon Valley, San Jose
https://yourywca.org/take-action/volunteer/
Focus: Eliminating Racism & Empowering Women
Mission: YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.
Values: Compassion, Innovation, Partnership, Integrity
Approach: Crisis Response, Empowerment, Capacity Building and Prevention, System Change
Rape Trauma Services, Burlingame
https://www.rapetraumaservices.org/how-to-help/volunteer/
The mission of Rape Trauma Services (RTS) is to eliminate all forms of violence, with a special focus on sexual assault and abuse. Informed by our understanding of traumatic experiences and cycles of violence, we facilitate healing and the prevention of violence through the provision of counseling, advocacy, and education. We promote and adopt policies, practices, and social values rooted in fairness, equity, and inclusiveness.