Shout Volunteer Laurie’s story: supporting children nationwide
As a Shout Volunteer, Laurie supports children, young people and adults all around the UK from her home near Loch Lomond in Scotland.
With the help of Children in Need donations, Shout has supported more than 83,000 children in 340,000 conversations since launch in 2019.
We talked with Laurie about her experience.
I started volunteering for Shout during the Covid-19 lockdown, I saw an advert and I thought it seemed like a great way to help others during a really stressful time.
I feel like Shout genuinely helps others - children in particular really like the service because it’s text-only, and they don’t need to open up to someone out loud if they’re not ready.
Testimonials
Shout can help people to feel like they’re not alone, it can help them find their next step towards getting the further support they need
It's so rewarding to feel as though you have contributed to helping someone. Shout’s training - where you learn the art of listening without giving advice - is invaluable and having someone to open up to can make a huge difference for the texters.
Volunteering for Shout can be challenging. I sometimes find it upsetting to hear what others are going through and wish I could do more.
Testimonials
I’ve spoken to a lot of children who were worried about bullying
Volunteering for the service led to me retraining in my career to work as a counsellor. I have to carefully manage my workload to make sure I am not taking on too much - luckily Shout is extremely understanding and allows for flexibility.
I find Shout so convenient to volunteer for. I can log on and take a shift without worrying about travelling - it also means I can safely help out very late at night or early in the morning. All I need is my laptop and a cup of tea and I'm good to go!
Testimonials
I absolutely recommend volunteering with Shout! It changed my life for the better.
Volunteering at Shout helped me start on the pathway to gaining more qualifications and I have since completed a MSc in Counselling and Psychotherapy at the University of Strathclyde. I'm now a fully qualified counsellor working for a mental health charity in Scotland. Shout started me on this path and I'll always be grateful for the skills and confidence I’ve gained while volunteering with them.
I also found that the training Shout provides invaluable in learning how to talk openly about risk - this was extremely useful during my counselling training as the fear of those conversations had been removed.
