2NDFLOOR® YOUTH HELPLINE

A free telephone helpline to assist children, youth and young adults, ages 10-24, with their day to day concerns. Trained listeners encourage discussion, provide support and offer practical guidance. The helpline operates around the clock, every day of the year.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VOLUNTEER’S DUTIES

• Call Center: answering helpline phone calls at our call center.The phones are staffed with professional Master’s Level counselors. However, our call volume is so high that Volunteer Advocates answer many phone calls as well. 2NDFLOOR operates every day of the year, around the clock.
  
• Outreach: accompany agency staff to various event presentations at schools, go to the beach, concerts, amusement parks, and attend community festivals. At times you will represent 2NDFLOOR as a program of itself, at other times you will represent the agency as a whole. Outreach events in schools occur during school hours. Community events tend to start late mornings and last into the afternoon, at times into evenings. Many of them are on weekends.

TIME COMMITMENT

Volunteer should be able to commit to a minimum of 2 four hour shifts at the call center per month and attend 5 out of 10 monthly volunteer meetings per year.

Call Center: Volunteer Advocates can sign up for time slots. It is encouraged to plan for 2 four hour shifts per month. We are hoping for a commitment during high call volume, typically 2:00pm - 9:00pm on school days and 11am - 12:00 midnight on school vacations and holidays.

Outreach: The outreach schedule varies and so do the time commitments. The volunteer coordinator will post outreach opportunities and all the details involved as events come up.

SKILLS NEEDED:

• Apply active listening skills to help young callers sort through their challenges.
• Able to relate to a different point of view without passing judgment on the caller.

TRAINING INFORMATION

40 hours of training includes:

• E-learning course:  on-line training that allows volunteers to proceed at their convenience and at their own pace. It will count for ten hours of training.
• Three classroom trainings given by 180 staff, counting for another ten hours of training.
• “Hands on” training through “shadowing” at the call center for twenty hours. Scheduling these hours is very flexible.

PREREQUISITS

• Must be 18 years of age or older
• Have access to transportation
• Possess a valid driver’s license  
• Submit to background investigations and fingerprinting
• Participate in an initial interview with the volunteer coordinator

      CONTACT INFORMATION:

• For more information or to submit a volunteer application through website: www.2ndfloor.org,

Click on “get involved” followed by “adult volunteer”.

• Please note that acceptance of registration does not ensure admittance into the program.

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For further information please
Click here or call our Hotline on 1.888.843.9262.

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