About Sligo Samaritans
To provide 24 hour emotional support to people who write, visit, phone or email. Volunteers provide acceptance & listening to others on their helpline: Special Free Phone Number: 116123 / Lo Call 071 91 42011
volunteering@samaritans.org 1890 200 091 (Republic of Ireland)
What's Involved
The Samaritans are looking for volunteers for their centre three hours per week and one overnight per month (where possible) to listen & provide emotional support to callers.
For over 30 years, Samaritans have been active in the Sligo community. Ordinary people have become extraordinary by volunteering to keep Samaritans services available 24/7.
Recruitment of new volunteers is open now and interviews and training takes place twice yearly.
We are having 3 recruitment evenings as follows;
October 3rd in the Branch
October 4th in Tubbercurry (Venue to be confirmed)
October 11th in the Branch.
Sligo Samaritans currently have over 100 volunteers and no paid staff. We always need more volunteers to ensure volunteer cover and to share the workload. Ideally the local office would like to recruit another 10 - 15 volunteers at each recruitment phase.
There is a six month training programme. Volunteers are supported with their initial telephone calls and receive mentoring during training and an ongoing basis.
This role can be quite demanding. Volunteers must be good listeners and be non-judgemental. Volunteers provide emotional support and may be dealing with calls from people who are affected by or considering suicide. Consistency and reliability of volunteers is important. It is very rewarding and volunteers get more back than they put in. Volunteers can select their own weekly hours.
Our application process is now done online. Those interested in volunteering with us can access detailed information on the nature of our service and apply on www.Samaritans.org
The information on the website will help you decide if volunteering with Samaritans is for you. Once you do decide to complete the enquiry form, you will be able to choose the Samaritan centre where you wish to volunteer, book an interview date and time and you will receive regular updates on the status of your application. We hope that this will provide a more streamlined, flexible and informative process for prospective volunteers.
Training will be a mixture of online and in person training for the initial induction and training sessions.
What's required for this position
Willingness to accept others as they are, the ability to listen and be non judgemental. New volunteers are always needed for this role.
Level of English required for this role:
Fluent English
Times and commitment required for this role
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
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| Morning | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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| Afternoon | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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| Evening | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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Minimum time commitment: 2 years
Hours required: 3hrs
Other Details
Location of volunteering opportunity:
Sligo Town :
The Samaritans Office,
3 The Mall,
Sligo.
Other location details:
Sligo Town
Screening details for this role:
- Formal Interview
- Garda Vetting
- References
Volunteers will be provided with the following supports:
- Support/ advice/ recognition
- Supervision
- Initial induction and training
- Reimbursement of expenses
- Insurance cover
- Ongoing training opportunities
Age restrictions:
Over 18
