Berkley Center

I answer the phone for the fourteenth time today, not as nervous as the first time but still realizing I'm in over my head. "Hiya, LGF, how are you today?" The first day of training we learned that the beginning of the call is most important because it will immediately determine whether or not the caller feels comfortable (if not, they will hang up). I'm already at a disadvantage with my American accent. A few weeks ago collecting money on the street for the U.K. charity the Prince's Trust, a man told me he would never give any money to an American and placed his donation in my U.K. friend's tub. The immediate hang-up rate is about 30 percent—I should keep that in mind when I begin to take actual calls to see if my rate is any higher.

Even if they want to talk to me, I'm still in over my head. It is surprising that even though we speak the same language, I can't always pick up what the caller is saying. Ignorantly, I didn't know there were so many variations of British accents until I started meeting different people from around the United Kingdom. Luckily it is only practice, so I don't feel as bad asking Colin to repeat himself over and over again. While the majority of the calls come from the Manchester area, Colin uses many different accents in our training to give us a sampling of his 13 years on the helpline.

I chose to volunteer at the Lesbian and Gay Foundation (LGF) because the organization demonstrates three key elements of a successful nonprofit: 1) Collaboration; 2) A strong understanding of community needs; and 3) Proper management and leadership of volunteers. These three elements have allowed the LGF to, over time, become the largest U.K. provider of direct services and support to the LGBT community. At the core of this organization is the LGF Helpline, which has provided advice, knowledge, and a first point of contact to the community for over 30 years. The helpline operates 365 days a year to provide information on bars, clubs, support groups, health issues, LGF services, bias reporting, or to be simply someone to listen. Helpline operator training consists of 35 hours working with Colin and the rest of the LGF staff by practicing sample calls so that the volunteer will feel totally comfortable in any situation. Colin explained that the majority of the calls are fairly straightforward such as asking the hours of the foundation or directions to Manchester gay-friendly pubs. While an automated system could be used to answer such questions, the purpose of the volunteers is to handle the more delicate questions regarding health testing or info about LGF support services.

Training helps me feel more knowledgeable and confident discussing these topics with complete strangers. The last training session dealt with the rare calls that are the most difficult to have but can provide the most help, such as individuals suffering from depression or individuals who have experienced harassment. In reality, I do not believe that any amount of training could prepare me for these types of calls. I asked Colin what it was like to take a really difficult call, and he said that he keeps an extra shirt in his desk because the stress is unbearable. Becoming a truly dedicated helpline operator means feeling personally connected to the caller, even though you never met him/her and might never hear from him/her again. He went on to say, "I don't do this because of any higher being or to earn karma points, I do it because this is a community that looks out for each other. If someone has a problem, we address it like a family because sometimes we are the only family they have.”"

Colin's reference to religion was interesting because I came to the United Kingdom looking to explore the intersection of religion and volunteer work. For the most part, I have found an absence of religious motivation in volunteering, but I attribute it to my choice of organizations rather than the culture as a whole. Unfortunately, by the time I will have completed all of my training, I will only be able to assist the LGF Helpline for about two months before I return to the United States. It is disappointing that the organization spent so much time training me, but I am not going to have a chance to truly help. Still, I am grateful for the experience because I can always take this knowledge and it use back in the United States.