Author: Daniel Gordon

Week 4 with Samaritans

Following my final week with Samaritans it’s safe to say it’s been an experience.

I will keep this entry short and sweet as my last (rather long) one got deleted when I tried to publish it, which was frustrating!

My final week has consisted of collaborating my survey responses, interviews and research into a written report for my supervisor. Though I have learned a lot during my time here I unfortunately did not have as many survey respondents as I would have liked, so drawing any meaningful conclusions has been rather difficult. However, I’ve done my best to work with what I have.

Week 3 with Samaritans

This week I’ve met with several Samaritans listening volunteers in person as well as over the phone. These interviews have been quite revealing and in large part provided me with the information that I had hoped they would.

In addition I have received more survey responses, and was pleasantly surprised to find emails from more listening volunteers expressing their interest in being interviewed. I hope to see them as soon as possible, as I’m aware that my remaining time will pass all too quickly!

Since last week I have also conducted more research on advertising techniques employed by Samaritans, and looked into their online presence via their website.

Week 2 with Samaritans

My second week at Samaritans has been largely populated with reading and organisation.

I’ve received some responses to the survey I designed last week, which is promising, and hope to get some more soon. The branch at Hereford is fairly small, so I don’t anticipate a huge amount of responses. However the volunteers who have contacted me seem very keen, so we’ll see!

In my briefing for the volunteers I also asked if they would be interested in taking part in some interviews, which would be either face to face or over the phone. Thankfully the response to this has been rather positive, and I have a few lined up for the following week.

Week 1 at Samaritans

As my first week draws to a close, I’m beginning to feel a little more confident with my project’s structure and its aims.

Following discussions with my supervisor and sending off the relevant documentation (I don’t know what I expected, but the ethics form was a bit of a nightmare!), I have designed and posted my questionnaire. It is my hope that this will give me a better idea of what encourages a person to volunteer with Samaritans.

I have also attended a volunteer information evening to meet some potential listening volunteers and make them aware of my project. Thankfully they were very welcoming and seemed eager to be involved.