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Volunteer & Intern

The WRC offers comprehensive trainings throughout the year for those individuals seeking to volunteer as a victim advocate in one of the agency’s programs. There are also many opportunities for students to intern with the agency for college-course credit. Volunteers help at the shelter, in the courts, in the schools, and in the office. They can also help to plan special events and educational forums.

Updated January 2023

The internship program is currently suspended.  Please visit our Careers Page to learn about employment opportunities.

To be notified of volunteer opportunities please provide your contact information here:

Volunteer Sign Up

#KnowMore

The Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV) is proud to offer a biannual training calendar with workshops and trainings covering a wide variety of topics related to domestic violence awareness and prevention.

If you are considering volunteering at the Women’s Resource Center, we encourage you to view these clips and reflect on them using the accompanying questions.

 

This first video offers a view of domestic violence from the perspective of survivors:

Things to think about:

  1. We often get asked: “Why do victims stay?” From what you heard these survivors say, how would you answer that question?
  2. As some of these survivors mentioned, sometimes abuse is hard to recognize when there is no physical abuse. Why do you think verbal, emotional, sexual, and financial abuse are harder to recognize within a relationship?
  3. Avon wants us to speak out against domestic violence. How would you start a conversation about domestic violence with your friends, family or colleagues?

The second video talks about what domestic violence is, and the tactics that are often used:

Things to think about:

  1. At the beginning of the video, Deanne lists some common misconceptions about the “causes” of domestic violence. Why do you think anger, arguments, alcohol, and drugs are often seen as the cause of domestic violence? What do you think causes domestic violence?
  2. How does Deanne define domestic violence for us?
  3. She lists many tactics used in domestic violence situations beyond physical abuse. Were you surprised by any of these? Have you witnessed or experienced any of these tactics? What would you do if you knew a friend was experiencing any of these things?

In this final video, Tony Porter, of the national organization A Call To Men, talks about the “man box” and the impact that our shared gender role stereotypes negatively impact both men and women:

Things to think about:

  1. Tony discusses the “man box”– culturally supported stereotypes of how a man should behave and think. How might these stereotypes create fertile ground for domestic violence?
  2. What struck you as most compelling in Tony’s talk?
  3. The domestic violence movement is often viewed as involving only women. At the WRC, we are working to engage men in our work, modeling the work of A Call to Men. Why do you think it’s improtant to involve men? What unique role can men play in preventing domestic violence?