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 Winter 2020 Basic Academy in Portland, Oregon, will require online distance learning on select dates in Late January-February, in addition to in-person learning from February 24-27, 2020.

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 May 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 designed for Oregon advocates new to the role of advocacy who are working in system-based and community-based agencies. Allied professionals working with crime victims (e.g. mental health counselors, crisis response workers) will be enrolled as space allows. 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 of the Basic Academy and from each participant.

In addition to participating in the 4-day, in-person Basic Academy and completing the required pre-work, participants must complete four mandatory two-hour pre-Academy distance learning sessions scheduled for noon – 2:00pm on Monday, January 27, Monday, February 3, Monday, February 10 and Tuesday, February 18, 2020 (flexible times available). Please note the last distance learning session is on a Tuesday to avoid the Holiday.

All registrants must review and sign the Learner Academy Commitment agreement.

National Advocate Credentialing Available

Successful graduates of the SVAA Basic Academy will be eligible for the National Advocate Credentialing Program Provisional Level credential. For more information about this credential, please visit: http://www.trynova.org/help-crime-victim/nacp/. This training will qualify for CEUs.

Costs and Basic Academy Information

The $350 registration fee includes access to all materials, CEUs (if desired) and certificate of completion. Participants pay for their own lodging, food and travel expenses.

Logistical information will be sent to registrants in advance of the Basic Academy.

Lodging for Basic Academy

Participants are responsible for securing and paying for their own lodging. There are hotels in Portland that will honor the goverment rate in the winter.

Questions

Answers to many other questions can be found on NCVLI’s SVAA FAQ page. Please email NCVLI at ncvli@lclark.edu if you need additional assistance.

SVAA is supported in part by funds from the Oregon Department of Justice through funding from the Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice.