Do you love a challenge and enjoy working with other volunteers? Then let yourself be drawn into the world of COSA!
COSA: making life a little more fun and safer together!
Practical details
Opportunity • Structural
Contact person
Manuela
Ask Manuela a question or contact the organiser directly at m.serra@reclassering.nl or 0646624977.
Provided
Requirements
#120169
Scan me or visit en.link050.nl/o/COSA-specialisatie-van-Reclassering-Nederland/opportunities--trainings/COSA-making-life-a-little-more-fun-and-safer-together/120169 to join
At COSA, together with a small group of volunteers, you support a sex offender in his reintegration into society.
Interesting or nice about this vacancy
If you love a challenge and are open-minded, let yourself be taken into the world of COSA!
COSA stands for Circles for Support, Cooperation, and Accountability.
It is an approach to the reintegration of sex offenders who take responsibility and want to build a crime-free life, with the goal: No new victims!
Sex offenders are often excluded from society and consequently experience loneliness and social isolation . This increases the risk of new transgressive behavior. Upon returning to society, individuals are often left to fend for themselves and lack a support network.
At COSA, we do not exclude, but instead work together to reduce risks by walking alongside someone and keeping an eye on them. As a volunteer, you truly make a difference!
What do you do as a volunteer?
Together with a few other volunteers, you form an artificial network around a sex offender (circle).
You support someone by offering a listening ear, providing feedback, engaging in social activities, and practicing social skills.
Examples of social activities are: walking, having a drink on a terrace, exploring a new living environment, visiting a club together, cooking together, visiting a museum, participating in pub quizzes, going to the cinema, etcetera.
Examples of social skills are: how to make and maintain contact, how to ask for help in a timely manner, how to increase reciprocity, how to choose contacts that are supportive of me, etcetera.
In addition, you also have a monitoring function as a volunteer. If you are concerned about whether your core member is doing well, or if you notice peculiar behavior or unusual choices, you may of course discuss this openly with your core member, but you must also report it to the circle coordinator. The coordinator is responsible for any follow-up steps. A critical perspective is very welcome in this supportive role.
How do you become a volunteer?
You do not need a specific (educational) background.
After registration, we always start with a no-obligation introductory meeting. You can ask all your questions, and we will explain how the approach works and what is expected of you as a volunteer. If we are both enthusiastic, you will attend a mandatory two-day training session to discover if this volunteer work truly makes you happy. During those days, we will also look at your strengths, potential vulnerabilities, and areas for development. In an individual follow-up meeting, we will decide from both sides whether you will be available. If the mutual 'yes' is agreed upon, we will then only require a Certificate of Conduct (VOG).
What do we offer?
- good guidance/coaching for both the groups of volunteers and for you individually
- theme nights
- peer supervision meetings
- a safe learning environment
- good travel and expense allowance
- connection with other volunteers
- good accessibility, even in the evenings and on weekends
Good to know:
- Our work is ALWAYS safe for volunteers.
- You establish contact from person to person, not as a care provider.
- We ask for an open mind and the ability to separate the person from the (offensive) behavior.
- A good command of the Dutch language is necessary.
- We work throughout the Northern Netherlands, but you decide how far you want to travel and on which days you are available.
- In this volunteer work, serious conversations and fun, lighthearted moments alternate.
If you think it would be fun to do this unconventional volunteer work, we warmly invite you to contact us and/or sign up!
COSA Volunteer Work Registration Form - Probation Service Netherlands
Related to
About COSA, specialisatie van Reclassering Nederland
Do you love a challenge and enjoy working with other volunteers? Then let yourself be drawn into the world of COSA!
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