If you are accepted as a trainee for the Community Education and Training (CET) volunteer role, you will be required to attend a five-week (10am–2:30pm, one day per week) training program.
The next training course will run in early 2021. Training is usually held at the PANDA National office in North Fitzroy, but depending on COVID-19 restrictions may be run over Zoom in 2021.
Applications are encouraged at any time. Places are limited, so if you are interested in this year’s training courses, please contact us or fill in an application form as soon as possible.
What is covered?
Training is both highly supportive and practical. By the end of training the aim is that all trainees:
- Can demonstrate competence in the core areas of knowledge and skills required to fulfil the CET volunteer role and
- Have explored and shared their experiences of perinatal anxiety, depression and recovery in a supportive group environment, and out of these shaped a story they are comfortable to share publicly.
Topics covered include:
- An introduction to perinatal anxiety and depression
- An introduction to PANDA services
- Understanding our audiences and key messages
- Exploring and sharing your lived experience
- Deciding what experiences you want to share in CET volunteering
- Multiple writing workshops – shaping and sharing your evolving story
- Group facilitation skills
- Peer education principles and delivering PANDA education programs
- Responding to disclosures and risk issues
- Debriefing and self-care.
Final steps
The final steps, after training and prior to commencing work in PANDA’s Community Education and Training volunteer program, are:
- A criminal records check: PANDA conducts an initial check, which is then updated every three years.
- A counter-signed letter of offer: this expands on the role description to cover all responsibilities, reporting relationships, supports, performance management principles and other terms and conditions of volunteering with PANDA.