Get Involved

Sexual Assault Initiatives Fund

The AMS (Alma Mater Society) of UBC has a specific fund available to those who would like extra funding for their own project or initiative that is related to sexual assault. Individuals or groups can be granted up to $1000 for their project.

Examples of past projects that have been granted funds includes:

  • WILLA/Antigone UBC, a campus club, was given money to help print their ‘zine which had a theme of Violence Against Women
  • Allies UBC, a resource group, was granted money to help develop a new awareness campaign about consent and communication, specifically focusing on men.
  • An individual was granted money to bring in the group Safeteen to facilitate a workshop
  • Students for Reproductive Rights (SRR) a campus club, was granted money to bring in a speaker from Options for Sexual Health who gave a presentation on ‘Sex & the Law’.
  • The student program coordinator for UBC’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) was granted money to help put on SAAM events.
  • A UBC sorority was granted money to bring “Dissolve”, a one-woman theatre performance about drug-facilitated sexual assault to their sorority house.

People who are interested are encouraged come by the SASC for an application. Once the application is completed, it must be returned to the SASC, and the SASC will pass it along to the Student Life Committee in the AMS which determines if the project/initiative is eligible for funding.

For more information, please email Sascprog@ams.ubc.ca

Volunteer with SASC

The SASC does an annual volunteer training program. We invite people of all genders and backgrounds to join us. No previous experience in anti-violence work is necessary.

We are looking for individuals who:

  • Are passionate about ending sexual assault
  • Are willing to learn more about this issue
  • Are keen on raising awareness on campus about sexual assault
  • Come from all different backgrounds and levels of experience
  • Are comfortable working within a team
  • Can commit to our training session, meetings, and volunteer opportunities (see below)
  • Are empathetic and non-judgmental
  • Have new ideas about raising awareness about sexual assault that they would like to see put into action

What to expect as a volunteer:

  • A thorough volunteer training session
  • Excellent experience and opportunities in the anti-violence field
  • Learning more about feminism and anti-oppression
  • Volunteers do not work directly with survivors
  • Raising awareness about the SASC (either by creating new campaigns, attending events/tabling, helping with our projects, etc)
  • Meeting and volunteering with like-minded peers
  • An end-of-the-year volunteer appreciation event
  • Future references if they satisfy our commitment requirements
  • Opportunities to initiate and carry out new campaigns

Our volunteer training is very thorough, and takes up an entire weekend (Friday evening, all day Saturday, and a half-day on Sunday). Training takes place on campus in the SUB, food and beverages will be provided all weekend. Volunteers do not work directly with survivors, regardless of any previous experience doing support work.

Topics Discussed during the Volunteer Orientation Weekend:

  • Definitions/terminology relevant to sexual assault
  • Basic support skills
  • Other services and initiatives in the GVRD relevant to sexual assault
  • Drug-facilitated sexual assault
  • Child Sexual Abuse
  • Relationship abuse
  • Myths and facts about sexual assault
  • Potential impacts of sexual assault on survivors
  • Feminist and anti-oppression theory and how that relates to our work
  • Violence in same-sex or same-gender relationships
  • The Canadian law and sexual assault

We ask the volunteers commit to attending the entire training session. All volunteers are expected to commit at least 8 hours a month, which includes attending our regular meetings, especially if they want a recommendation letter from us in the future.

An online application will be available all summer, and we will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis. In addition, all interested volunteers will be asked to come in for a brief, informal interview leading up to the training weekend. All interested applicants must have their application in by 4 pm on Friday, September 7, 2012. The posting closes at this time.

Volunteer training for the September 2012-April 2013 year will take place at the following times:

  • Friday, September 21: 5-9pm
  • Saturday, September 22: 10am-5pm
  • Sunday, September 23: 10am-4pm

Please make arrangements to attend on all three days; each day has a very full schedule of information that builds on the previous day. Volunteers (regardless of any previous experience) who cannot make all three days will be asked to withdraw their application.