Giving Compass' Take:

• The recruitment and admissions manager at the Crisis Text Line explains why volunteering at the end of the year, especially during the holidays, is necessary as there is an increase in the number of people who need extra help during this time. 

• What are some unique issues that individuals may only have to address during the holidays?

• Read about the importance of volunteering at a soup kitchen.

Some see the end of the year as a time for self-reflection, leading to feelings of regret, inadequacy or inferiority.

Here at Crisis Text Line, we see these feelings first hand. In December 2017, we witnessed some of our busiest days ever, with almost 6 million messages exchanged with people in crisis. That’s over double the population of the city of Chicago. For our volunteer Crisis Counselors (CCs), the holidays are an extra special time to support people in pain.

How is volunteering with Crisis Text Line different during the holidays?

  1. More Diverse Groups Of People Are Reaching Out For Help.  Our crisis trends show people of color text us significantly more often during the holiday season. The biggest increases occur among Black (+13%) and Middle Eastern (+12%) identifying texters.
  2. The Issues People Face Around The Holidays Are Unique. The holiday season brings up a lot of thoughts about family. For some, that can be a serious stressor. On Thanksgiving last year, conversations about family issues spiked by 25% and conversations about self-harm spiked 30%.

So how can you help? After all, the holidays are focused on spreading joy to our fellow community members and supporting those in need.

  1. Our Crisis Counseling Can Be Done Completely From Home.  Sign up and complete a couple of hours of training to qualify. Training is self-paced, completely online and available 24/7, meaning you can learn from anywhere with a reliable Internet connection.
  2. The Skills You Learn As A Crisis Counselor Can Be Applied To Every Part Of Your Life. Our training is based around empathetic listening and collaborative problem solving and can help improve communication in all aspects of your life, including your career.
  3. It Feels Good To Help People. Our system allows texters to send a final note to their CC after the conversation and, overwhelmingly, we hear about how we’re changing people’s lives for the better.

Read the full article about volunteering at the end of the year by Elizabeth Sweezey Morrell at VolunteerMatch.