The Oregon State Basic Victim Assistance Academy (Basic Academy) provides fundamental education for victim service providers and allied professionals who routinely interact with victims of crime. The August 2022 Basic Academy will be 100% virtual. This interactive online format allows increased accessibility to this deep knowledge and skills training. During this 40 hour training, which spans four weeks, there will be synchronous and asynchronous elements of the Basic Academy. This means you will get to do some work at your own pace and then come together with your peers for live sessions to learn other pieces and share your efforts.

The Basic Academy is designed for advocates who are new to the role of advocacy. The curriculum includes sessions that cover the core competencies of victim advocacy taught by local advocacy experts.

The Basic Academy is committed to graduating advocates who possess the core competencies necessary to compassionately, knowledgeably, collaboratively, and sustainably support agency in the aftermath of crime.

Topics Include: Justice System Overview; Ethics; Privacy; Crime Victims’ Rights; Effective Communication; Crisis Intervention; Intimate Partner Violence; Vicarious Trauma, Resiliency and Self-Care; Neurobiology of Trauma; and Financial Recovery.

Target Audience: This training is primarily for Oregon advocates new to the role of advocacy whether they are working in system-based or community-based agencies, or are in an allied professional (e.g. mental health counselors, crisis response workers). Registration priority is given to Oregon participants; out-of-state participants will be enrolled as space allows.

Learner and Academy Obligations and Commitments

The Basic Academy is a place for learning the fundamentals of effective victim advocacy and for building a sustainable, collaborative community dedicated to serving and empowering victims. Success in this endeavor requires commitments from the organizers, faculty and participants.

Participants are obligated to participate in 40 hours of training – 10 hours per week for four weeks – that is a combination of self-paced individual work as well set times for live online sessions with the entire cohort. Live online sessions are scheduled for the following dates and times:

Tuesday, August 2 – 10:00am – 1:00pm Pacific

Thursday, August 4 – 10:00am – 1:00pm Pacific

Friday, August 5 – 10:00am – 1:00pm Pacific

Tuesday, August 9 – 10:00am – 1:00pm Pacific

Thursday, August 11 – 10:00am – 1:00pm Pacific

Friday, August 12 – 10:00am – 1:00pm Pacific

Tuesday, August 16 – 10:00am – 1:00pm Pacific

Thursday, August 18 – 10:00am – 1:00pm Pacific

Friday, August 19 – 10:00am – 1:00pm Pacific

Tuesday, August 23 – 10:00am – 1:00pm Pacific

Thursday, August 25- 10:00am – 1:00pm Pacific

Friday, August 26 – 10:00am – 1:00pm Pacific