Hey friends! 
The Open Umbrella Collective is seeking smart, awesome, caring people to join our organization as volunteer Abortion Doulas in Asheville, NC!
What is a Doula? 
The word doula is an ancient Greek term that translates to “caregiver.”  A doula provides emotional support, pain management and relaxation techniques, and information to their clients as needed.  
An Abortion Doula will provide all of the above to clients who are terminating their pregnancy.  The doula will be available to clients before and throughout the procedure, as well as part of the recovery period, and will remain in touch as the client desires thereafter.
Abortion Doulas:
We are looking for people interested in training as abortion doulas to work with clients in the clinic. Doulas will be present and provide emotional support to clients before, during and after abortions. We are looking for people who can work at least 2 days a month as well as complete the required training, provided by the Open Umbrella Collective on March 10 – 11, 2012.  Trained birth doulas are particularly encouraged to apply, though we are excited to bring on reproductive health and justice activists who have no prior doula training. 

Job description:
*Report to the clinic each workday
*Meet with clients in the clinic before abortion and answer any questions/concerns, help fill out paperwork, and provide pre-abortion counseling
*Provide client with emotional support during abortion. Please note: This means you will be expected to be in the operating room with the client as needed. 
*Provide clients with our contact information number and your name to contact you through the collective’s voicemail/email to talk after abortion.

Commitment:
*Attend a two-day training March 10 – 11, 2012, a clinic orientation, and an observation of a shift
*Commit to two 4-7 hour days per month (Wednesday and Friday 11-5 and Saturday 9-3) 
*At least one-year commitment to project
*Commit to being available to speak with client post-abortion if they desire
*Attend quarterly abortion doula meetings 
* Every volunteer has the option to committing to being a part of the leadership circle – a team that makes organizational decisions. 
* Maintain professionalism, confidentiality and good attitude

** Training details………… In order to offset some of the cost of the training workshops, we will be asking each applicant accepted to pay $25 on the first day of training.  We recognize that this may be difficult for some of us; if this is the case for you, please just drop us a line.  We will waive the workshop fee, no questions asked.

About The Open Umbrella Collective:
The Open Umbrella Collective is a pro-choice Asheville-based organization that provides free services to individuals across the spectrum of pregnancy. It was founded by pro-choice doulas and reproductive justice activists. The Project is a volunteer led and run organization that trains and manages its own doula base. Currently, we are focusing on providing volunteer doula care for people seeking abortions at Asheville’s only abortion provider, Femcare.  You do not have to have prior doula training to be an abortion doula with us, we will provide abortion doula training.
Mission
We believe each person's unique pregnancy experience should be respected and supported. Our work as doulas fosters a culture that values individuals, families, and the strength we find in community; by identifying as full spectrum doulas, we offer support regardless of the pregnancy outcome. We believe the pregnant person is the expert in their own process.
Values
Our values are based on wanting the following things for all pregnant people:
- Access to support, fabulous health care and reliable information
- Trust in their decisions and the ability to carry out these decisions in a safe environment
- The honoring of experiences and memories of those experiences. 
- Privacy and confidentiality
We also value respect, protection and privacy of clinics, hospitals, organizations, and individuals who work with pregnant people.
Services
- Free abortion and post abortion doula services
- Access to accurate and reliable information regarding family planning, reproductive health, birth, miscarriage, stillbirth, fetal anomaly, postpartum, abortion and post abortion.
- Although our focus currently is abortion services, in the future we hope to expand our care to encompass the whole spectrum of pregnancy and provide both birth and postpartum doula care.
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How to apply:
 People with experience in doula work, reproductive health, rights and justice 
work, abortion counseling or health services are encouraged to apply.  People of color, queer and trans people and bi-lingual and bi-cultural people are strongly desired. People with flexible/free weekdays are ideal.  While we are willing to negotiate for the right person, priority will be given to those who can commit to at least two weekdays a month.

If you are interested in working with us, we are accepting applications now 
through February 14, 2012. Please send completed applications to openumbrellacollective@gmail.com 
You can also contact us at 828-738-6736
And visit our website at: 
openumbrellacollective.yolasite.com

***After receiving your completed application, we will contact you for an interview***

Application for Abortion Doula Spring Training 2012

Basic Information

Name: 
Address: 
Email address:
Phone number:

Please list any languages other than English that you speak and your proficiency in each:

Please provide a detailed picture of your general schedule and commitments for the next year:

Can you attend the trainings March 10 – 11, 2012?

Interests/Experience

How did you hear about The Open Umbrella Collective?

Are you a (trained) birth doula? ___ Yes ____ No 

Please describe your experience as a doula and/or your experience in reproductive justice work.

You will be working with several other doulas and clinic staff closely and will be expected to communicate with them frequently and share your experiences working in the clinic.  What are your group communication strengths and weaknesses?

What is your experience working with communities or cultures that are different from your own? 

What is unique about you that could contribute to the Collective and could enhance your work as a doula? 

What do you think the role of a doula should be during an abortion? 

Please write a personal statement that responds to the following questions: What does the phrase “Spectrum of Choice” mean to you?  How do you see this phrase as being relevant to being a doula?

Please submit 2 references who would not mind being contacted.