A good cause but recent changes have been questionable
Pros
-You get to work with a lovely team of moderators and supervisors - You make meaningful friendships. -Sometimes you truly feel like you’re making a difference. - The community of young people is truly inspiring
Cons
I’ve had the privilege of volunteering for this charity, and I truly believe in its mission. The cause is brilliant, and the community is full of incredible, strong young people who bravely open up and share their struggles. It was an absolute honour to get to know them and support them through their journeys. Before the merger with MHI, my experience as a volunteer was amazing. I felt appreciated and well-informed about my role and responsibilities. The support for volunteers was excellent, with regular check ins, especially after particularly challenging shifts. However, during and after the merger, things changed significantly. I often felt unappreciated and almost forgotten in my role, which is difficult when you’re volunteering after a long day at work or university or picking up an extra shift last minute to help out. I want to emphasize that none of this is the fault of the community team. It’s clear that since the merger, the original staff team left, and a new community team had to be pulled together from different departments. They are working incredibly hard to settle into their roles, and I sincerely hope the leadership is providing them with the support and recognition they deserve. Thank you, community team, for your efforts - I only hope the community itself isn’t feeling the strain of these changes. That said, it's still early days and i'd like to try and remain hopeful for improvements. - Volunteers frequently cancel shifts last minute, leading to support room closures and putting extra pressure on those who do show up. -Volunteer appreciation and support has significantly declined since the merger. -Uncertainty and lack of clear communication post-merger. This has been amplified with the ridiculous decision of closing down the WhatsApp groups - our ONLY way to communicate as a team. -The online volunteer portal is outdated and difficult to use. -Since the merger, it’s been harder to get in touch with the team email responses take FARR too long -Since the merger it’s more difficult to get in touch with safe guarding teams. On Fridays when you’re running chat threads alone this can be quite worrying. With the closing of the WhatsApp groups this makes situations worse. You will supporting young people alone, with no way to communicate to the team. If you are supporting a YP in crisis - well, good luck to you with your minimal training and 0 support. Unless you’re able to multi task by repeatedly calling safe guarding until they answer, whilst talking to 10+ yp at once. -Volunteers who have given their time for YEARS are suddenly being dropped due to their location. Don’t think that you mean anything to this charity, you will simply be replaced. -Build relationships with fellow volunteers? Oh, absolutely not. WhatsApp groups (including social channel) have been closed and we have been heavily discouraged from creating new group chats. This has left many volunteers feeling disconnected and while I understand the GDPR concerns, abruptly removing these spaces without offering alternatives has impacted team morale and the friendships we’ve built. -Staff, volunteer, community members are all dropping out post merger. I’d like to think this is alarm bells for upper management.
