Bilingual In-Office Children's Activity Volunteer - Spanish/English speaking

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CHILDREN'S SERVICES: Bilingual Spanish/English-speaking In-Office Children's Activity Volunteer

Location: YWCA Domestic Violence Department, Support Network Program, 375 South Third St, San Jose, CA 95112 and/or at an alternate location in the North County (Sunnyvale/Mountain View) area.

Purpose: Facilitate/co-facilitate activities/group activities for Spanish-speaking children, and other children, while their parents attend a counseling or therapy session or group.

The primary goals of this position are to...

• Create a safe/predictable environment in which children can begin to heal from exposure to domestic violence.
• Foster children's social, educational and emotional growth/development & model/stimulate positive interactions.
• Provide children with opportunities to build positive relationships, as well as social and conflict resolution skills.

Major Responsibilities:

• Arrive 20-30 minutes before the activity group starts to prepare the activities & set-up the room for use.
• Help create a safe and predictable environment by letting the children know the start and end time of activities, where their parent is during the activity, and when it is time to clean up (15 minutes before the end).
• Support children in the completion of their homework and/or provide children with choices of creative and developmentally appropriate activities; may include play, art, movement and music, depending on your skills and interests.
• Ensure all areas used during the activity group are cleaned at the end. Increase children's responsibility by involving them in the clean-up process throughout the activity group, as they move between activities, and at the end.
• Meet for up to 30 minutes at the end of the activity with the designated group facilitator to report any incident or information disclosed by a child and/or to discuss any observations on the children.
• Mandatory: Report any know or suspected instance of child abuse and/or neglect to a YWCA Support Network Program employee.

Required Qualifications:

• Fluency in Spanish and English
• Interest in, and commitment to, continuous learning about children and domestic violence.
• Experience working with children, preferably outside of a personal family environment.
• Ability to work with children of different ages, at different developmental stages, from diverse backgrounds.
• Flexibility and compassion.

Preferred (but not essential) Qualifications:

• Knowledge and understanding of the diverse Latino/Latina cultures.

Benefits to Volunteering:

• Connect with children and help foster their resilience.
• Learn about yourself, have fun, and get in touch with your "inner child".

Training Required:

• Completion of the YWCA Support Network Program's 40-hour Domestic Violence Counselor Training
• Completion of the YWCA Support Network Program's 1-hour Children's Services Component Training

Time Commitment: Volunteer once a week, or more, for any of the following hours:

Wednesdays: 3:00pm - 5:45pm

Thursdays: 5:30pm - 7:30pm

Fridays: 10:30am - 12:30am

Required commitment: Minimum of 100 hours of service (post-training)