Charity Insights

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.

It’s been a privilege to work with Samaritans and I look forward very much to undergoing my own training to become a listening volunteer in the autumn, and soon after taking calls. Every Samaritan I’ve met so far has been a wonderful person, and I can only hope to become half of what they are now.

My focus now will turn to the stigma surrounding mental health. I hope to address this both within and outside of my professional career, especially through events such as Mental Health Awareness Week.

Working with Samaritans has helped me to realise that my career aspirations are now directed towards mental health, and I hope to follow this through next year in my BSc in Neuroscience in Mental Health!

Read Week 4 with Samaritans in full

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. There is currently considerable interest (and also controversy) around the role of social media platforms regarding the mental health of their users. Is it their role to look after their users, and would they go so far as to report a potentially at risk individual? I learned that Samaritans recently sought to expand its online presence via the use of an app called Samaritans Radar, which was employed on twitter to connect users who posted potentially worrying tweets (i.e. with phrases such as “depressed”, “so alone” or other related phrases) with friends who could in theory help. However the app was pulled late in 2014 due to serious concerns over privacy issues.

Though an interesting area, it has less to do with recruitment and more with Samaritans’ main aim. I will shortly be meeting with my supervisor with whom I hope to consolidate what I’ve gathered so far, and then produce my report detailing what I’ve found.

It will be a shame to have to leave Hereford again; though a small town, it is where I grew up and has a certain undeniable charm.

Read Week 3 with Samaritans in full

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. I hope that by speaking to individual volunteers I can get a better idea of what motivates these individuals to volunteer, and what might hold them back.

I’ve also scheduled an interview with the Volunteering Services Officer from HVOSS (Herefordshire Voluntary Organisations Support Service) in an attempt to get a wider picture of volunteering in the local community, and what position Samaritans has in that.

As part of my project’s role in outreach and recruitment I have found some fascinating studies on the subject, conducted only earlier this year. They provide a very revealing picture regarding what motivates a volunteer, and what are the main inhibitory factors. I look forward to seeing whether my results will match theirs.

Next week I should be meeting some volunteers, hopefully in person, before analysing and writing up my findings in the final week!

Read Week 2 with Samaritans in full

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. In the coming weeks I hope to amass responses to my survey and also lead some telephone and face to face interviews.

Even after one week I have learned a substantial amount about operations within the branch, the support it receives and, more importantly, the support it needs. This has helped shape my understanding of how charitable organisations in general struggle and get by from day to day. Due to insufficiencies within the branch, some volunteers have had to spread their roles to cover many different areas.

Finally following talks with my supervisor I’ve learned how the ethos of the organisation has changed and evolved since its inception in 1953, and look forward to becoming a fully fledged volunteer myself in the autumn.

Read Week 1 at Samaritans in full