Athens, Perry and Meigs county benefit from Ohio University Survivor Advocacy Outreach Program.
Ohio University isn’t the only one benefitting from sexual assault advocacy programs.
OU’s Survivor Advocacy Outreach Program serves Athens, Perry and Meigs county. A program branched off of OU’s Survivor Advocacy Program, OUSAOP aims to provide similar services, including a 24/7 crisis hotline.
Kat Wargo is the program coordinator for OUSAOP and helps oversee the training of new advocates to serve and help survivors. The program is funded through a grant awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, through the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
“We look for individuals who are dedicated toward making a change and sometimes who have experience with sexual violence in their past who want to go out and help other people to heal from what they have experienced, and really individuals who are empathetic,” Wargo said.
OUSAOP advocates are trained to help survivors through the legal, medical and health processes that arise with sexual assault, stalking or domestic violence. Wargo said what a large part of the training includes is preparing advocates as best as OUSAOP can for the different backgrounds of each client, as reactions can vary from person to person.
The training required to become an OUSAOP advocate is a mandatory 40-hour training. The next start date is Nov. 5 and runs through Nov. 19. OUSAOP is looking for advocates to help with crisis hotline management, medical accompaniment, office assistance, awareness and legal advocate.
“We are the first rape crisis center that has functioned out of this area so we are incredibly thankful and think it is incredibly important to reach out to these communities to start raising awareness that sexual violence does happen in small communities, as it happens everywhere,” Wargo said.
Wargo said OUSAOP is always willing to see in what ways different people can volunteer and to call 740-591-4266 for more information.
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