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Community Reentry, Social Justice Work, Burlington, Vermont

Burlington, VT, United States

In partnership with

The Dismas House provides housing and opportunities to men and women getting out of prison so that they can successfully transition back into the community. http://dismasofvt.org/


Description of the Work

Volunteers will assist in a variety of tasks including but not limited to: administrative support in the office, helping with fundraising activities, supporting the residential community by helping with planning and participating in house activities and Residential Advisor duties (See below). The type of work and number of hours varies but is usually 4 – 6 hours a day. Volunteers live on site and participate in all house activities including evening meals and all outside activities.

Resident Advisor position requires a confident individual who will be on duty evenings and every other weekend. There primary function will be to contact staff if there is an emergency, lock doors at night, assist residents when needed and participate in house functions.

Office Assistant will be working with staff on all of the day to day operations of a small non-profit organization. Tasks include: clerical work; student recruiting activities; fund raising activities; general administrative duties; as well as participating in all of the residential group activities. The average work day might consist of approximately 4-6 hours of office work.


Accommodation & Food

Volunteers will stay in a comfortable, modern dormitory with comfortable beds, well-equipped kitchen, large dining table and common area. Rooms are generous in size and volunteers may share their room with other members of the Volunteers for Peace group. Volunteers will cook meals as a group. Bring some recipes from home to share, and let us know if you have any dietary needs.


Location & Leisure

Volunteers will live together with former prisoners in a lovely Victorian House located in Burlington, Vermont. Volunteers may have to share a room. All meals, shared bedrooms, kitchen, bathrooms, hot showers, linens & towels are provided. Some group activities and sightseeing is included.

We are in close walking distance to the Historic “Church Street” area where there are shops and activities. There is always something going on in Burlington! Street Fairs, jazz festivals, parades, theater, and many other special events. There is a bike path that goes along the waterfront where you can run, bike, roller blade or just take a quiet walk. Volunteers will have ample time off to travel on their own. Previous volunteers have been to Montreal, Boston, New York, to rodeos and climbed mountains as well as toured Vermont’s famous Ben & Jerry’s!


Appointment

Host Organization: Burlington Dismas House: 96 Buell Street, Burlington, VT, USA


Host Organization

There are many types of work available because projects arise from grassroots local community needs. Most projects are 2-3 weeks long. Accommodations vary widely, but usually volunteers share the same living space, doing all their own cleaning and food preparation on a rotating basis. VFP is a Vermont non-profit corporation with tax exempt status (501 (c) (3), as determinated by the IRS. We are located in Burlington, Vermont which is the largest city with a population of ~40,000. VFP is an Executive Committee member of the Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS) at UNESCO and works in cooperation with Service Civil International (SCI), and the Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organizations. The history of International Voluntary Service dates back more than 85 years. Our office staff, Board, Advisory Board and thousands of volunteers in the field help to facilitate these projects. Within the CCIVS network, over 100,000 volunteers are exchanged annually. VFP was founded in 1982 and since then has exchanged over 28,000 volunteers. http://www.vfp.org/