Volunteer Crisis Responder - Bilingual / Overnight (Virtual)
(Kids Help Phone, Crisis Text Line)
Opportunity Details: Volunteer Crisis Responder - Bilingual / Overnight (Virtual)
| Contact | Susan Ao, User Support Specialist, Kids Help Phone; Email: contactus@kidshelpphone.ca |
| Duties | Kids Help Phone’s texting service is the only free, 24/7 bilingual text line for people in Canada. The service is delivered by trained, volunteer crisis responders who work remotely. We are recruiting overnight and or bilingual crisis responders who will answer texts from young people looking for support in both English AND French. The volunteer position will be remote, meaning that you can participate from anywhere in Canada as long you have a strong, reliable internet connection! Our volunteers need to be enthusiastic about helping people! You can be a professional, student, teacher, retiree, or anybody else with a willingness to learn how to support people over text. The role of a crisis responder is to bring texters from a “hot” moment to a cool calm one, and to help them come up with a plan to stay healthy and safe. Crisis responders are trained to do this using active listening and collaborative problem-solving. |
| More Info Link | https://kidshelpphone.ca/opportunities/crisis-responders/ |
| Clients | Youth and young adults texting in, who may be looking for support during moments of crisis or distress |
| Ages | 18 year(s) and up |
| Suitable for Highschool Credit Hours | No |
| Areas of Interest | Community / Neighbourhood Volunteering ; Community Outreach ; Counselling ; Distress / Crisis / Bereavement Support ; Information & Referral Services ; Mental Health / Addictions ; Personal Support ; Social Interaction ; Therapy ; Volunteer from Home / Virtual ; Youth Services |
| Skills/Experience | Communication & Interpersonal Skills ; Confidentiality ; Counseling & Support ; Dependability & Trustworthiness ; Friendly & Outgoing ; General Computer Skills ; Listening Skills ; Patience ; Positive / Cheerful Demeanor ; Team Work ; Working with Children |
| Commitment Length | Medium Term (4 months to 1 year) ; Minimum commitment of 1 4-hour shift per week for 1 year |
| Interaction Level | Virtual Volunteering - Youth and young adults are texting in, and volunteers are answering through the online Crisis Text Line platform |
| Minimum Hours | 4 / Week |
| Seasons | Year Round - Minimum commitment of 1 year as traffic is constant so we want to ensure we have enough Crisis Responders to support texters |
| Accessibility | Not Applicable |
| Location | Ontario |
| Number of Positions | Alberta ; Blairmore (Alberta) ; British Columbia ; Bruce County ; Central (Alberta) ; Central Ontario ; Central Saskatchewan ; Coleman (Alberta) ; Eastern Ontario ; Grey County ; Lake Manitoba First Nation ; Little Saskatchewan First Nation ; Manitoba ; Muskoka District ; New Brunswick ; Newfoundland ; Newfoundland and Labrador ; North (Alberta) ; North Saskatchewan ; Northeastern Ontario ; Northern Ontario ; Northumberland County ; Northumberland County ; Northwest Territories ; Northwestern Ontario ; Nova Scotia ; Nunavut ; Ontario ; Parry Sound District ; Peterborough (County of) ; Prince Edward Island ; Québec City ; Russell (Manitoba) ; Saskatchewan ; Saskatchewan Beach (Resort village) ; Saskatchewan Landing No. 167 (Rural municipality) ; Simcoe County ; South Saskatchewan ; Southern New Brunswick ; Southwestern Ontario ; Yukon Territory 100 individual(s) needed in total. First-come-first serve to fill training slots, but additional individuals interested in the Bilingual Crisis Responder role will be contacted for the next round |
| Training | Training is required - 36 hours of online training split into 6 hours per week, which can be done on your own time |
| Police Check | Required |
| Liability Insurance | Available |
| Community Sets | Barrie ; Northumberland, Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, or Haliburton ; Perth and Huron Counties ; South Simcoe ; VC - Bruce and Grey Counties ; VC - Muskoka District ; VC - North Simcoe ; VC - Orillia & Area ; VC - Parry Sound District ; VC - Peterborough ; VC - Simcoe County ; VC - Simcoe, Muskoka, Parry Sound District, Bruce, Grey, Peterborough & Northumberland ; VC - South Georgian Bay ; VC -Northumberland |