Why volunteer at WIRE?

Are you:

passionate about supporting and empowering women, nonbinary and gender-diverse people?
at least 21, open-minded, with great communication skills?
available to volunteer four hours a week during business hours, for a year or longer?
want to learn more about issues affecting women, nonbinary and gender-diverse people today?
a worker who helps women with issues like family violence, sexual assault, housing and family law? Or would you like to be?

If you’ve answered YES to all the above, read more about our training and then book in to attend our next information session in February 2023.

Our volunteer support workers are trained in WIRE’s unique strength-based service delivery model to give service users the space to explore their issues and form plans of action.
With more than 38 years’ experience, WIRE is Victoria’s leading free service organisation in Victoria.

The volunteer support worker training will support you to:

build on your active listening skills
challenge your biases about our communities
reflect on your learning
debrief with experienced WIRE team leaders

Becoming a volunteer support worker at WIRE

The volunteer support worker training is in person and includes:

interactive workshops
simulated practice exercises
assigned readings
written exercises
hands-on experience answering phone calls on WIRE’s support line

Commitments

If you are selected to be part of the training program, you will need to commit to:

10 day, in-person group training (one Wednesday per week, 9:30am – 3pm, beginning mid-August 2023)
2x two-hour observation shifts on the Phone Support Line (in person)
2x three-hour evaluated shifts on the Phone Support Line (in person)
5x four-hour probationary shifts (in person)
a one-hour mid-training interview
a one-hour end of probation interview*
one volunteer support worker shift per fortnight over a minimum of 12 months

* Not all people who complete the training will become WIRE support workers.

If you would like to discuss whether this volunteer training opportunity is right for you, please email our Volunteer Training & Education Coordinator Vanessa Stathopoulos at training@wire.org.au or call one of our support workers on 1300 134 130 between 9am and 4.30pm Monday to Friday.