Volunteer Southland

General Volunteering: In the office, at events, in the community

We are always looking for people who are willing to help out and contribute. If you have skills and time to offer we'd love to hear from you!

Helpline Counselling

Are you interested in providing basic counselling by text, phone, email and web chat to young people across New Zealand? Youthline Southland offers free training for local volunteers aged 17+. Training is held locally where possible but often work in collaboration with Youthline Otago.

Training Stages:
Stage 1: Personal development training programme serves as the first step towards becoming a counsellor on the Youthline Helpline. Learn self-awareness, theory, communication skills, self-reflection & much more.
Stage 2: After personal development training, youth and community counselling skills is where the skills-building really kicks in! Build your active listening, micro & strengths-based counselling, and suicide risk assessment & prevention skills.
Stages 3 and 4: Helpline counsellors start as trainees and work alongside a mentor until they build the skills and confidence to work independently as a solo helpline counsellor where there is plenty of flexibility. Once you are fully trained, you will be provided ongoing and regular supervision with a trained professional either in a group setting or one-on-one. We look after you while you make a difference saving lives and supporting our local and national community.

Training for stages 1 & 2 is usually held over 4 days.
Shifts on the helpline are 3 hours and it is expected volunteers complete 2-3 shifts per month and make a minimum commitment of 1 year.

In 2020 we will have 2 training intakes in March/April and July/August.

To register your interest and sign up fill out the form below.

Sign up form for the personal development programme and Helpline Counsellor volunteering

* Indicates required field

Name *

First

Last

Email *

Address *

Line 1

Line 2

City

State

Zip Code

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Phone Number *

Date of Birth *

Ethnicity *

Current Occupation *

Previous Occupations (include holiday jobs) *

How do you intend to use this training (e.g. youth work, counselling, community development, helpline counselling, personal interest)? *

What attracts you to doing this training and what do you want for yourself out of this training? *

What experiences have you had that may be relevant to this training? (e.g. personal experiences, educational, clubs, work). Please also name any specialist skills, (e.g. counselling, group work, youth work, community development). *

Self-awareness training can be demanding and can touch aspects of our being and relationships which are tender. Is there anything concerning your physical, emotional, spiritual or mental well being which it would be helpful for us to know? *

Any record of criminal convictions you might have may be concealed if you meet the eligibility criteria stipulated in Section 7 of the Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004. Do you have any previous criminal conviction(s) that are not covered by the clean slate act? If yes, please give details: *

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