Welcome to Miscellaneous’s second guest blog post by Brent @ OUTLineNZ
OUTLine has developed as a professionally run, clinically robust, volunteer driven service to LGBTIQ people and their families through Aotearoa. Over 40 years ago, a small group in Auckland fielded calls as best they could. We stuck at it, and today our service offers a national toll-free service, where trained LGBTIQ volunteers are mentored to be the front line for anyone troubled with issues of gender identity or sexual orientation. It sounds tough… but with the support of great initial training, and ongoing supervision from experienced counselling professionals, and supported by a small team of qualified counsellors, OUTLine volunteers continue to do what, at our best, we did in 1972: callers can talk confidentially and anonymously with someone from our communities who will listen and affirm… and who has the resources at hand for our callers to find options and connections.
Our calls rang from the desperate to the lonely to the confused, and wonderfully, to the grateful. Of course, for most of us, it is amazing and humbling that many of our callers let us into their stories.
OUTLine is national, specialist, experienced… and still driven by volunteers. About 100 generous people give 3 hours a month to do a phone shift with OUTLine. Others who for various reasons don’t do phone duty contribute in equally valuable ways so OUTLine can be a caring and attentive presence out there… throughout Aotearoa.
Initial training to be an OUTLine telephone counselling volunteer is 4 full days – 2 consecutive weekends – in training courses held several times each year. We ask you to be ready to make a commitment to a minimum level of volunteering, but in return, OUTLine meets the cost of training and your ongoing support as one of our OUTLine team.
There are many qualities that could make a good OUTLine volunteer, and you might wonder if it’s for you, but there are only two that we consider essential: you need to have walked your own LGBTIQ journey and be comfortable as an LGBTI person, AND you need to feel the empathy and respect for callers that will make you someone they trust to listen to them. OUTLine doesn’t give people answers or advice. We help them know that wherever they are on their journey, there’s hope.
So many of our LGBTIQ people feel hopeless and isolated. We all know how badly things can go if they have no-one to turn to. So we don’t have answers: we are just there for them. It’s a great way to make a difference.
Email info@outline.org.nz or phone us 0800 OUTLINE (0800 688 5463) free from any NZ landline or mobile phone 9am-9am weekdays / 6pm – 9pm weekends and public holidays and talk about options to volunteer that suit your life.
