Nice to meet you! Having completed their training entirely on line, our newest Samaritans finally met each other to celebrate their progression to full listening volunteers
The Derby branch is run entirely by volunteers. We are just like you, ordinary, from all walks of life, who want to give something back. This is a really friendly, welcoming and supportive branch with a real mix of young and old, new and experienced, and everything-in-between people.
Listening volunteers
We have about 90 listening volunteers, but there’s always room for more – the more volunteers we have, the more callers we can support. You don’t need to have a particular life experience or be from a specific profession – anyone who wants to help others, and who is tolerant and open-minded, is welcome to apply.
You do have to be 18 or over, and 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.
Our training is fantastic – by the time you take your first ‘live’ call, you’ll be ready, and you’ll have a mentor with you to start with, to give you confidence you’re doing the right thing. Here at Derby, we run three online training sessions a year, each running one evening a week over ten weeks.
Read more about what is expected of you, and what you can expect and if it sounds right for you, you can apply by clicking on the link at the bottom of the Become a Samaritans listening volunteer page and we’ll take it from there.
Support volunteers
There's a whole range of other things that need to be done to keep the Derby branch running. You could help raise money or promote our services, organise an event, keep our computers working, or generally help with our branch admin and maintenance.
You can find more information about these different roles and if you think you could help us, you an apply by clicking on the link at the bottom of the Support Samaritans in other ways page and we’ll get right back to you – the branch doesn’t run itself, and the more the merrier!
Benefits of volunteering
Our volunteers can change the course of someone’s life.
Now I take quiet comfort in knowing that by answering the phone, I can help someone feel better about themselves
Jamilia, Samaritans volunteer
In return, you can:
- Feel good about yourself: it’s a privilege to have people confiding in you and to be of help and whatever you do for Samaritans, you will be helping to change people’s lives for the better, which is even true for your own life – our volunteers say they find volunteering incredibly rewarding
- Be part of a friendly, supportive and sociable community – you’ll make friends for sure
- Gain 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
Samaritans of Derby and District, a charity registered in England (1174130). Samaritans of Derby and District is a recognised branch of Samaritans.