We have our training program! Through the help of the therapists, social workers, and lawyers we found, our training program has taken shape. We will have a total of 20 hours of training and roleplays, followed by a week of internship and monthly supervision meetings. Our training program will be composed of the following sessions:
- Bakad Meet and Greet: Our shared policies and ethical principals
- Foundational terms and approaches in LGBTQ+ issues
- Myths and Reality: LGBTQ+ experiences, prejudices, and misinformation
- Providing Emotional Support and Personal Boundaries
- Approaching Risky Cases: Talking about self-harm
- Discrimination and Internalized Phobias
- Talking about Coming Out of the Closet
- Talking about Relationships and Sexuality
- Talking about Sexually Transmitted Infections
- Talking about Substance Abuse and Addiction
- Talking about the Military Service
- Turkish Criminal Law: Our Rights and Obligations
- Local and National Resources on LGBTQ+ Litigation
- Role-Play Session
- Communication Best Practices: How to be an effective team player
- Summary and Technical Information: How to operate a hotline
Once we had this hourly plan, we also started talking about the payments we will be making to our therapists and lawyers, and gladly came to an agreement. We are now trying to figure out the best way to sign the contract and procure their services, in terms of the various tax implications involved.
In the following week we will be having interviews with the applicants, to make sure they volunteered for the right reasons and carry the motivation to continue in the project. My partners at bakad are truly incredible in organizing this interview schedule and taking up the brunt of the work. Some of our volunteers said in their application forms that they may return to other cities, which means they may not be in the bakad offices to mend the hotline in person. We are looking for solutions, exploring various prepaid central phone line companies originally designed for small private businesses. Currently the systems Kobikom and Karel appear very useful, so I will be getting in contact with them to get quotes.