Virtual Volunteering: How I’m Helping Others Remotely

Saving lives from behind my laptop screen

Janine-Marisha
5 min readDec 2, 2021
Photo by ray sangga kusuma on Unsplash

My previous job involved helping people at a charity. I constantly saw people struggling and it made me want to get more involved in mental health.

Originally I wanted to work for the Samaritans, however when lockdowns started the training could no longer be done in person.

So, I looked elsewhere and found a remote volunteer opportunity.

Shout is a text-based helpline where people in crisis chat to volunteers. It combines counselling, crisis management and conversations. So far I am loving this remote role. It allowed me to help others whilst working from home and I get to gain experience and work.

I thought I would share my experience for anyone wanting a volunteer role that fits around their lives. It is great experience and you get to work with a fantastic team.

I’ve answered some of the questions I had before becoming a volunteer. If you have any more feel free to contact me or leave me a comment:

What Is Shout?

Shout is a free, text-based support service. Available 24/7 it offers anyone struggling to cope or experiencing distress the opportunity to chat to someone.

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Janine-Marisha

Usually writing or taking pictures — remote worker and part-time freelance tutor, editor, and writer. Following my dream to be an author