THE
P RTAL
August 2012
Page 11
pure privilege volunteers from all sections of society
It is a pure privilege to be a Samaritan. For the caller
to talk to you about private, and often embarrassing,
matters, is a pure privilege. Volunteers are not all middle-class! We attract
volunteers from all sections of society, we are not all
white skinned either!
We provide various services, there is the telephone,
There have been days when I think I will give it
of course; we do one to one interviews, e-mails. texts all up. However, I think I shall be involved with the
and letters. Some branches offer a service for the deaf. Samaritans for a good while yet.
a laugh can be beneficial
Often I call into Mass
Something as simple as a laugh can be beneficial. A
All the calls are talked over on the shift and with
sense of humour can help. Not that it is funny when the Leader. Often I call into Mass on my way home
people are depressed or suicidal, but
having a sense of humour helps to
take the caller seriously.
It is not our job to solve problems.
Our job is to help the caller deal with
whatever it is that caused them to
telephone us, perhaps in a different
way. A depressed male caller may be
asked if he has shaved that day, or a
female one if she has applied lipstick?
the call is the callers,
not ours
We must always remember that
the call is the callers and not ours. It
is not Samaritans’ job to stop them
talking their own life, but maybe we
could ask ‘why?’ Usually suicide is the final straw. Even and leave it all at the Altar. A lot of Samaritans are
so the caller may not mention the real problem facing Christians, as well as of other faiths, but not all. We are
them, other than as an aside.
not a Christian, or even a religious, body.
Depression is an illness
national emergency number
With depression, one must realise it is an illness. As 08457 90 90 90
soon as the caller realises this and that you understand,
Each Branch is self-financing. General Office
you get a reaction. Other illnesses are obvious and get funding, but this does not go to the Branches.
visible; depression is not.
Branches raise their own cash in any way they can.
Some have a shop, others are funded by local charities.
young Samaritans
Our Branch has no paid staff whatsoever. But we do
In the fifteen years I have been a Samaritan, I have have one hundred and twenty to one hundred and
done a shift every two weeks and a shift once a month forty volunteers.
all night. A shift is four hours. Night shifts were nine
hours, now they are either four or six hours. Midnight
There is always a minimum of two on every shift.
to two o’clock in the morning is the busiest time. There are four day-time shifts and two night shifts.
During all that time I have also served as a Branch This would be for a large Branch with three emergency
Trustee, Vice Chairman, and Chairman. There is no telephone lines. Each Branch has its own emergency
retirement age, but you must be at least sixteen years telephone number, but we do have a national
of age to start. Some of our young (young in age that emergency number which goes to the nearest Branch.
is) Samaritans are very good indeed.
It is 08457 90 90 90.