Volunteering at King's Lynn Samaritans

Find out if being a listening volunteer is right for you.

· Help people at difficult times

Every 10 seconds someone contacts us. Every 10 seconds we can help someone turn their life around. As a listening volunteer you get the chance to make a real difference to someone’s future.

· Get support every step of the way

You’ll receive full training to prepare you for the kinds of conversations you’ll have. And when you start out, you’ll have a mentor with you, to give you confidence you’re doing the right thing.

· Learn to do something valuable

You’ll gain a range of new skills and the confidence to use them, including the ability to understand people and manage difficult conversations. Many employers value these kinds of skills.

What it’s like being a listening volunteer

• It’s always different and always interesting – no two conversations are the same.
• It feels like a privilege to have people confiding in you.
• You’re never on your own, and there’s a fun, supportive atmosphere in our branches.
• You can offer support on the phone or email.
• You can take a break between conversations whenever you need to.
• Spending a few hours helping other people can make you feel good about yourself.

Who are we looking for?

· Open minded

You’re willing to understand someone else’s point of view, even if it’s different from yours.

· Supportive

You’ll help maintain a friendly and supportive atmosphere.

· Empathetic

You’re comfortable with your own feelings and able to share another person’s feelings.

· Discreet

You’ll be careful with any information you’re told, and never share it outside Samaritans.

· Accepting

You won’t discriminate against anyone for any reason, including gender, race, sexuality, disability or political views.

· Honest

You’re able to tell the truth even when it’s difficult – for example about the type of support we can offer people, even when they want more.

Can anyone be a listening volunteer?

Samaritans welcomes applications from a wide range of applicants.

Anyone has it in them to be a Samaritan. You won’t need to have previous experience or qualifications, but you will need to be non-judgemental and accepting of others.

It doesn’t necessarily matter if you’ve gone through difficult times yourself, what matters is that you want to help people – all kinds of people, from all walks of life.

You need to be 18 or over, and because we’ll invest in you (our training is really high quality), you need to see this not just as a short term role but something you’re likely to do more long term.

Serving police officers and special constables can’t be listening volunteers because they have a duty to report crimes, which might conflict with our policies, although they can volunteer in any other role.

In order to safeguard our volunteers and callers the listening role requires a criminal record check. If you have a criminal record it won’t necessarily stop you from becoming a volunteer. We’ll consider each case individually.

Think this might be the role for you?

Email KingsLynn.BranchRecruitment@samaritans.org

You can also apply online by visiting samaritans.org/volunteer

• The King's Lynn Samaritans branch is composed exclusively of volunteers.
• Our 80-strong team supports 20,000 contacts each year around the clock through telephone contact, email and face to face support.
• Our volunteers work extensively in the local community to support anyone experiencing distress or despair.
• We raise awareness with young people through our outreach work in schools and colleges in the King's Lynn and Wisbech area.
• Volunteering with the Samaritans can be a wonderfully rewarding experience.
• Click the link if If you'd like to volunteer with King's Lynn Samaritans, as a listening volunteer