Interfaith Street Chaplaincy

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Raising Sparks is seeking in-person volunteers who love engaging with people and have an interest in furthering their understanding and practice of interfaith hospitality and spiritual care ! Interfaith Street Chaplaincy volunteers will be immersed in direct service opportunities, ranging from making peanut butter & jelly sandwiches with volunteers and distributing them to people living on the streets; putting together harm reduction and hygiene kits that include life-saving supplies, such as Narcan; holding memorial services at SRO hotels and providing residents with emotional support; participating in outdoor communal meal events; and connecting those we serve to other community resources and services.

Volunteers and those we serve will meet each other on equal ground, learning from each other and breaking down stereotypes and assumptions through positive mirroring and authentic kindness and friendship. We believe that nurturing community, friendliness, and interpersonal care are crucial ways of improving the quality of life of those we serve, and we seek to be a source of love and safety for our neighbors living outside/in marginal housing.

You will largely be working and coordinating with our Street Team (Director of Interfaith Spiritual Care & Director of Street Outreach and Hospitality). This opportunity will be an excellent fit for anyone interested in chaplaincy, social work, direct services, and/or nonprofit programming.

Responsibilities:

• Accompanying our Street Chaplains and other outreach staff/volunteers on "street visits," which include checking in with people who are living outside, offering kindness, friendliness, food, harm reduction supplies (such as Narcan), and more;
• Supporting the Interfaith Chaplain/staff member in holding safe and sacred space for people to share stories, receive blessings, pray together, or simply engage;
• Visiting community centers, parks, and SRO sites to offer groups and services.
  

Requirements:

• Ability and openness to working with people from all faith traditions, or no faith tradition
• Ability to travel 4-8 blocks on street visits
• Respectful and authentically kind approach to engaging the people we serve
• Willingness to accept guidance from staff and adhere to all safety guidelines
• Commitment to values, mission, and vision statement

Outcomes:

• Gain a working understanding of harm reduction theory and techniques
• Introduction to interfaith spiritual care and practice
• Develop understandings of addiction and different recovery modalities
• Gain knowledge of the San Francisco social services & emergency systems
• Learn more about the Tenderloin and the grassroots resources and adjacent nonprofit organizations/services that operate here
• Learn and practice different healing modalities that one can use in their own self-care
• For students, class credit can be arranged according to school requirements