[KHTS] – Many Santa Clarita residents help out the community by participating in local nonprofits, and 22 people recently spent their weekend in training at the Domestic Violence Center of Santa Clarita Valley.

Linda Davies, executive director of the DVC of SCV, and her team, bring in local officials including Deputy Josh Dubin of the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station to train individuals interested in being domestic violence advocates and counselors.

“We host a 40-hour training over the course of two weekends,” Davies said. “We cover 11 modules to meet California code that requires all volunteers in the area of domestic violence to go through this training.”

Some of the trainees become interns at the DVC of SCV, while others go work at shelters and other outreach centers, she said.

“It’s very inspiring. The people know a lot more at the end of the training,” Davies said. “We’re educating people who can out go out and talk to the community and understand what it feels like to be a victim.”

Davies said the DVC of SCV has trained more than 150 people through this program.

“A lot of people want to be a part of a really worthwhile cause,” Davies said. “They don’t want to just staple papers, they want to work with a paid advocate and be in group and help support women in a group or go to a shelter and help women out there.”

The DVC of SCV tries to keep their fees for the training at $150, where other organizations charge more than $300, she said.

The next training is planned for the weekend of Feb. 20 and Feb. 27. The training hours are 6-9 p.m. Friday, 10-5 p.m. Saturday and 10-3 p.m. Sunday.

After the weekend training, the trainees are required to work at a domestic violence shelter for five hours and an outreach center for five hours to complete their training.

“They get to see which is the best fit for them and then where they would like to work in the future,” Davies said.

More information about the domestic violence training and the Domestic Violence Center of Santa Clarita Valley can be found atthe website.

About the DVC of SCV

The Domestic Violence Center of Santa Clarita Valley (DVC) is a nonprofit organization established in 1983 with a mission to create healthy relationships through intervention, prevention, and education to end the cycle of violence.