Student Volunteering Week: Bristol Nightline wants you

As part of Student Volunteering Week, Nightline reached out to make sure students at Bristol Uni are aware of the opportunities they have available

1 year ago

Isy Pinnock

Guides
BRISTOL

Bristol Nightline is a student-run listening service, with the aim of supporting fellow students struggling with their mental health.

During term time, Nightline offers a phone service from 8pm-8am, as well as an instant messaging (IM) service from 8pm-12am (midnight).

These services are both confidential and anonymous, and volunteers remain non-advisory, non-judgemental and non-directive.

As part of Student Volunteering Week, Nightline reached out to make sure students at Bristol Uni are aware of the opportunities they have available.

The majority of volunteers with Bristol Nightline are called ‘Listening volunteers’. These volunteers sign up to go on shift overnight to answer calls and instant messages.

Four training sessions are held per year for this role, with the last for this current academic year taking place “around March/April time.”

Applications for this role are not yet open, but students can complete an expression-of-interest form, and will be notified when they do open.

In addition, there is also a team of publicity volunteers who organise and run social media and fundraising events, as well as various committee roles which students “will be able to apply to fill for soon.”

The links to apply for Nightline’s various volunteering opportunities, including listening volunteer, publicity volunteer and currently available committee roles can be found on their website here.

Seeking to ensure their volunteers are as supported as they make others feel, Bristol Nightline have also launched a fundraising campaign to support their volunteers who selflessly support others.

‘This service is vital so that our volunteers feel supported themselves so that they can help others as effectively as they can.

‘You can’t pour from an empty cup.’

This year, Nightline has gained access to Health Assured’s EAP (employee assistance program) which can provide support for volunteers through a call service and app. In order to afford the EAP for the next three years, Nightline is aiming to raise £3645.

The link to the campaign can be found here.

To help with fundraising efforts, Nightline are also hosting events such as a bake sale in the University of Bristol’s Richmond building (from 11:00-16:00 on the 21st Feb) and a stall with games on it at the University of Law campus (11:00-13:00 on the 21st Feb).

Volunteering is a great opportunity to gain valuable skills and impress employers, as well as being an extremely rewarding experience.

For students who wish to use Nightline’s service, they can call on 01179 266 266, or use the instant messaging service; the opening times and links for these services appears on the Nightline website.