Huddersfield Samaritans
Huddersfield Samaritans is a group of volunteers who have helped people in need for more than 45 years. The group started its operations in 1968 at its branch that is located on Trinity Street. Today, the group operates from its centre in Huddersfield offering education and training to the people in the region in an effort to help them solve their emotional problems. The group members are individuals who are willing to help and they are recruited during the Volunteer Recruitment Day or through the group's online volunteering page.
Working with the Community
The group's volunteers work closely with the general public in Huddersfield by attending community events, giving talks and collaborating with other local organisations in promoting Samaritans' services and providing emotional support. Every year, the volunteers attend the Huddersfield University First year's fair to psychologically prepare the new students of some of the challenges in campus and how to cope with them. Other bodies working closely with the group include Kings Bar which hosts a comedy month every year meant to raise funds to help Huddersfield Samaritans in the provision of services.
Aim of the Group
The aim of the group is to help individuals expressing distress especially those that are contemplating suicide by offering them support to help their emotional growth. In this regard, the group has a telephone service that has been running for 8 years. The service is run by 60 listeners who receive calls from distressed individuals with all sorts of issues ranging from family, emotional, financial, and social problems, among others.
Volunteer Experience
As a volunteer in the group, I was working in the telephone service receiving calls from individuals in need of emotional support. The busiest days were during important days such as public holidays, Christmas periods and special events like the Father's Day. My work was to listen to their problems and help them explore the options available to them.
Description of my Experiences
Before my experience with the group, I thought that people do not normally need someone to listen to them. In addition, I thought that most people are afraid to open up concerning those things that disturb them. Again, people face varied problems such as psychological, social, physical, and emotional among others. This changed my earlier belief that most of the problems people go through are financial. Before becoming a volunteer, I also had this belief that women are often the ones who open up about their problems. In this regard, I could not contemplate men sharing their inner fears, emotions and deep issues affecting but this perception changed during the experience after receiving calls from men who were open to me as much as their female counterparts.
My Duties as a Volunteer
In my duty, there was no script since every call was unique. Therefore, I did not operate on a set plan. My work was to sit in the workstation and receive calls from all kinds of people who shared their problems with me after which I would help them by informing them of the options they could explore. Before being selected to join the telephone service team, I had gone through six months training on how to handle distressed individuals and how to help them overcome their problems. In most days, I would spend hours on the phone just listening to people share their problems with me. It was not easy since some of the cases involved deep issues that hurting me too but I had been trained to remain strong at all times. Some of my most memorable moments as a volunteer in the group involved helping prisoners and asylum members waiting to be deported and this gave me a fulfilling experience.
Personal Growth
After engaging myself as a volunteer in the group, my thoughts and feelings have changed. For instance, I now understand the nature of the problems that people face. I realised that people need someone to listen to them and show them care no matter what age they are. In addition, it does not matter what level a person is in terms of finances since problems go beyond the lack of money and material wealth. Working in the group has enabled me to develop feelings of compassion, sympathy and treat all people accordingly irrespective of their backgrounds.
Evaluation of Experiences
Huddersfield Samaritans have played an essential role in the center of Huddersfield by providing Samaritan services. The organization in partnership with the local communities has been able to increase its awareness as well as help that in need by providing emotional support as well as other needs. The organization has made me understand the importance of avoiding discrimination based on gender or age. Over the years, Huddersfield Samaritans have helped those in need without considering their gender or age. The firm has therefore trained a workforce that promotes the equality, teamwork, and empowerment. This has not only helped the organization in achieving its objectives but also helped the community in many ways. I was also able to learn the need to give customers the firm priority rather than the need to make a profit. Huddersfield Samaritans despite the challenges such as inadequate funds which hinder their activities, they have always ensured that their customers are satisfied. Through motivational talks and compassion given to the affected people, Huddersfield Samaritans have achieved more in matters pertaining to customer satisfaction.
Providing Emotional Support
Huddersfield Samaritans engage with a broad group of people based on its services offered. Providing emotional support being among the major services offered by Huddersfield Samaritans has made its team engage with people experiencing emotional stress. Engaging with people experiencing emotional stress made me learn the following. First, this community needs an individual who possesses interpersonal skills that help in guiding the affected person without interfering with their personal lives. People experiencing emotional stress need to be treated with compassion and love. Consequently, such a group of people tends to have the privacy of their information and therefore ethical considerations should be applied.
Personal Reflections
During my experience at Huddersfield Samaritans, I learned the following about myself. I was able to understand the need to have ethics in the workplace. Ethics govern how we behave in the society and therefore individuals should appreciate its importance. At Huddersfield Samaritans, I was dealing with different people who needed support and their privacy need not be exposed to everyone. I have therefore understood the importance of acting ethical for the good of other people. Many organizations experience discrimination in the workplace which affects employees and how they execute their duties. Having worked with an organization that discourages discrimination by encouraging teamwork among employees, I have become fully aware of the importance of working in teams. Working at Huddersfield Samaritans has developed me in various ways. Currently, I am able to work in an international firm as I have improved my ethical skills. Working in an international firm requires one to possess moral skills that will not compromise my career and my organization. I have also developed the importance of promoting cooperation and teamwork in the organization. My interpersonal skills have improved as well as conflict resolution tactics have developed. I believe that all these experiences at Huddersfield Samaritans will help me as a police officer. As a police officer, I believe that ethics should be considered as this job involves the interaction of many people. Cooperation at work will as well help in realizing my career objectives as well as climbing my career ladder.
