Volunteering At O.A.R.

OAR is a not-for-profit agency whose main resource is its volunteers. Trained volunteers are paired with inmates in the Tompkins County Jail to provide one-to-one work twice a week for an hour per visit. Volunteers develop supportive relationships with inmates and help them deal with problems that surround incarceration. Volunteers may choose to continue to meet with ex-inmates at the OAR office after their release.
Volunteers can provide assistance in many ways:

• By being a caring, concerned, patient, supportive listener
• By reducing the boredom, loneliness, and anxiety of incarceration
• By helping the inmate with his/her re-entry into the community
• By showing, through commitment to the inmate, that she/he is a worthwhile human being.

The Training Program

New OAR prospective volunteers attend a 25-hour training program which meets over the course of 3 weeks. Each participant receives a handbook that deals with the issues covered in the training. The training focuses on:
The traits of an effective volunteer. Volunteers learn effective counseling techniques through active listening workshops. They also learn the role and responsibilities of OAR volunteers.
Working with feelings: the nature of confinement and the difficulty of re-entering the community create characteristic problems. Volunteers help with inmates' feelings of isolation and powerlessness.
An overview of relevant issues: During the training program we provide workshops on the criminal justice system, suicide prevention, substance abuse, and issues surrounding race, class and gender. Volunteers tour the jail so that they may develop a better feeling for the environment of the inmates.

Qualifications for Volunteers

Volunteers are central to the OAR program. Only with committed and skilled volunteers can we do the work that is vital to the agency. Those who wish to volunteer must complete an application and interview with the OAR Volunteer Coordinator. We require the following minimum criteria:

• You must be at least eighteen years old.
• You must be prepared to make a time commitment of at least 10 hours per month for a year. (Students are not expected to work in the summer or on school breaks, however.)
• You must not be currently on parole.
• You must successfully complete the OAR training program, and be approved by OAR staff and by the Sheriff's Department.

Joining the Volunteer Staff

After completing training and beginning to work with an inmate, volunteers receive the following support from OAR staff:

• Volunteers attend a monthly meeting to discuss their experiences with other volunteers and staff, and to receive continuing training.
• Volunteers meet with the Volunteer Coordinator monthly on an individual basis (often by phone) to discuss their work, share successes, and explore problem areas.
• Volunteers are given staff home phone numbers; staff is available at any time to discuss difficulties.
• OAR and the jail staff keep all information about volunteers in strictest confidence, including last names, telephone numbers, etc.
• OAR staff can provide letters of reference and other kinds of recommendations for volunteers.

Internship

Each semester several students from local colleges work with OAR for academic credit or work-study. Interns work at least 8 hours per week for two semesters or more, and their responsibilities are broader than those of our regular volunteers. For more information, please speak to an OAR staff member.

Rewards of Volunteering

We realize that we ask a great deal of our volunteers. In return, we offer a unique opportunity to learn about the criminal justice system first-hand, and to develop self-awareness and helping skills. We are always grateful for the efforts and dedication of OAR's volunteers.

O.A.R.
403 N. Plain St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
272-7885
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