Job Opportunities API

Do you want to volunteer your time to give back to the LGBTQIA+ community? Can you provide calm words, sometimes under pressure, when they’re needed most?   Do you identify as a person of colour and want to undertake training in a safe space? Can you commit to volunteering for 6 hours every month/18 hours every quarter? If so, we have something for you!    Who are we? Switchboard LGBTQIA+ exists to provide members of the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as their friends, family and those supporting them, with a listening service that they can contact via phone, instant message and email between the hours of 10am to 10pm every day. We are happy to talk to service users about any topic they wish. Topics we often talk to service users about include: sexual health, safer sex, relationships, coming-out, gender identity, transitioning, mental health, experiences of hate crimes, support for meeting other LGBTQIA+ people and making friends, and much more. However, we want to also be upfront and transparent about the fact that not all of our conversations are positive or constructive. Our volunteers can also be exposed to abuse from the public, manipulative callers, sexual fantasies and safeguarding concerns. To find out more about what it means to volunteer with Switchboard, check out the short video below. What is the role? We are on the look-out for people to join Switchboard as Phone and Chat Volunteers . Within this role, volunteers commit to taking a 3 hour shift every 2 weeks on either our phone lines or online web chat services. The channel you choose to book a shift on is up to you! Whether you speak with people online or via phone, however, you’ll still be communicating with them in real-time, ensuring service users can reach out to us and offering an ear to listen to them whenever they need. Volunteers who support Switchboard in this capacity are trained to take both phone calls and respond to instant messages. They do not respond to emails, however.  Training for POC volunteers At Switchboard we are working to ensure that our volunteer membership reflects everyone within the LGBTQIA+ community. We want service users to be able to speak with volunteers who can empathise with their experiences and volunteers to connect with folks from a wide range of different backgrounds, cultures and identities. To help enable us to do this even more, we have created brand new dedicated training groups for different identities within the LGBTQIA+ community.  This group training group is specifically set up for people of colour. By joining this group, you'll undertake our Core Acceptance Training programme which equips you with the skills needed to support those contacting us via phone and instant message. Our hope is that this safe space enables you to freely ask questions, put our listening toolkit into practice and discuss approaches to different scenarios in an engaging, enjoyable way. Please note that this isn't the only way for you to join Switchboard. You can also volunteer as an IM-only or email-only volunteer if these channels appeal to you more. To find out more information, visit  https://switchboard.lgbt/volunteer . Who are we looking for? To ensure we can provide a high quality service to those who contact us, we are looking for volunteers who: Simply put, like communicating and chatting with other people (you’re most likely a people-person who feels energised by this type of communication) Feel comfortable taking calls and speaking over the phone to people you do not already know Are familiar with different instant messaging platforms (such as WhatsApp and other chat tools) and the types of communication they might receive Are able to read between the lines to decipher messages Are good listeners who let others lead conversations and instead create the space they need Are able to ask b