I’ve moved around over these past 16 years of my adult life, but whenever I return, I’m always eager to answer the helpline again.” I think when I was in my late teens Kelly mentioned that she thought I would be a perfect fit for NextStep.
“I’m not related to Kelly, but our family lived next to hers and I babysat for her kids when I was a teenager. Jennifer Brown has volunteered on NextStep’s helpline off and on for the past 16 years, having started when she was a very young adult. Our helpline volunteers are so important to us – we always make sure they are supported when answering calls, and that they feel valued and appreciated.” There is always a NextStep staff person serving as backup to help with any situation that needs extra support. Once they are ready to go live on the helpline, they are never alone, however. This includes 44 hours of classroom instruction followed by 10 role plays where we will conduct mock phone calls for the volunteers to practice their new skills. “It takes approximately 60 hours spread over 1-3 months to complete. “We try to hold trainings at times that fit our volunteers’ schedules, such as evenings and weekends,” Kelly said.
The ones who succeed are amazing and are making such a difference to the hundreds of callers we receive each year, nearly 1,000 of them in Washington and Hancock Counties.” We put many hours of preparation and effort into our core advocacy training because is it so important to have well-trained people answering the phone. “When someone signs on to take the training, we give them an in-depth training experience that will provide them with all the skills that are needed.
Involve yourself with listening ears how to#
“We ask a lot from our volunteers, but there are great rewards for taking the time to learn how to be effective on the helpline,” added Malarie Brown, Direct Service Coordinator. An understanding set of ears can be a lifeline.” Oftentimes, they don’t have that in their circle of friends and family. Many times a victim just needs someone to talk to, someone who will believe them and be understanding. We’re here to listen, to help them find their answers, and to offer resources if they want them. It’s a challenge to leave yourself out of the picture, to be non-judgmental. The truth is, we want victims to talk things out and process for themselves, to tell us what has worked and what hasn’t worked for them – to figure out what is best for their personal situation. “When we have a caller on the phone who is describing a serious need, it’s natural to want to help them, to give them a rescue, especially if the volunteer is a survivor of domestic violence themself. “Most people have an inclination to want to give advice,” Assistant Director Kelly Brown explained. As I spoke with Kelly, Malarie and Jennifer for this article, I was reminded of what my daughter is constantly saying to her six-year-old son when he looks like he’s paying attention but his mind is clearly focused somewhere else: “Do you hear what I’m saying to you? Use your listening ears.” People with great listening skills, who are trainable and able to follow instructions even when it goes against their personal instincts, who possess good common sense and a level of maturity – and have time available (whether a little or a lot) - these are some of the qualities that are needed to be effective on our helpline. It takes a special kind of person to be able to engage in our work. We do answer a 24-hour helpline with a live person on the other end around the clock, and we do provide shelter if it is needed and room is available – but both of those needs, along with everything else we provide, contain many facets beneath the surface. Answering our helpline seemed simple, something anyone with time and a caring heart could do. When I first started at NextStep in October 2019, I remember having a perception that our work involved just two things: answering calls from victims, and offering them a safe place to where they could escape.
0 kommentar(er)
