Supporting a woman in your life that has been sexually assaulted.
Providing support to a loved one who has been raped or sexually assaulted can feel very challenging. A full spectrum of feelings may occur in this situation, including outrage, sadness, fear, frustration, and confusion. A particularly difficult aspect of this experience can be a feeling of powerlessness: feeling that we were unable to protect our loved one from the assault, and now we don’t know what, if anything, we can do to help her. We may have a very clear idea in our heads about what she needs right now, and what she should do; when she responds differently from our expectations we may feel frustrated and confused. Click Here to read more about how you can help support a woman in your life.

Make a donation.
Avalon Centre receives funding from the provincial department of Community Services; this funding is insufficient relative to the demand for services related to sexual violence in our community. The SANE Program is funded by the Nova Scotia Department of Health, and coordinated by Avalon Sexual Assault Centre. Avalon also on occasion receives funding for special projects through 3rd party fundraising: we welcome proposals for events or projects that benefit Avalon Centre. As a registered charity, we are able to issue tax receipts for donations and greatly appreciate the support of our community. Donations can be sent to Avalon at our mailing address (see main page), or dropped off at the office at our street address (main page). We would like to thank the Vagina Monologues and friends of Avalon Centre for past support.

Volunteer Opportunities and Student Placements at Avalon Centre
Avalon Centre does not have the resources to operate a volunteer program. Volunteer opportunities are limited to our Board of Directors. On occasion, we may take volunteers with prior experience working at community based women's organizations and/or sexual assault centres to undertake specific projects such as research, fundraising, assisting with conference/event planning, etc.

Avalon Centre accepts student placements from programs such as: BSW, MSW, Counselling, Nursing, Medicine, Women's Studies, Law, Public Education, etc. The role of students vary depending on thier program and their level of experience. Students are provided experience working with supervision under three programs offered by Avalon Centre: Counselling, Community Education/Training, and the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program (SANE).

If you are interested in a volunteer position, a student placement or becoming a Board memer, please contact Jackie Stevens.

Be an Agent For Social Change
You can fight sexual violence in many ways. Challenge sexism in the media and in your own community. You can do this by writing letters to the editor, by challenging discriminatory policies, procedures and behaviors, and by challenging your own personal biases. Make sure your elected representatives are aware that you will not tolerate sexual violence by writing to your MLA, MP or City Counselor. Get involved with your local women’s centre.