Personal Narrative: Community Helpline

There I am in my car on my way to my first ever volunteering job. My hands are sweating and I can barely grasp the wheel. My mind is racing. What if I do something wrong? Am I the right person for this? What if I say the wrong thing? I had every scenario played out in my head. While this sounds like preparation and I really was prepared, I do not think any amount of preparation could have made me any less nervous.
This volunteer organization, called Community Helpline, tasked people to talk on the phone with people that needed someone to talk to. Anyone in California could call in and talk about anything. This could range from something as casual as a caller talking about their day to another talking about being suicidal. The volunteers are

asked to listen first, then respond appropriately, trying to keep the call positive and eventually help the caller come to a solution about their problem.
I learned about this organization during my junior year of high school.

While stressing about college, I decided I needed some volunteer experience. Luckily the Community Helpline sort of landed in my lap. A student in my psychology class was trying to recruit kids to join and it caught my ear. I signed up for the training which turned out to be way more than I bargained for. It was 16 sessions that lasted 3 hours each all throughout the month of February. We were educated about mental illnesses, physical and mental abuse, and suicide. They taught us how to react to each one and how to respond correctly. This was a lot to remember during each session, let alone during the real deal when the pressure was on. I completed the training and was offered a position to answer calls and talk to real people. I thought training was scary, now it actually got real. This involved real people with real

problems.
I signed up for my first shift on a Monday in March. I ended up postponing it to the next Wednesday blaming my absence on water polo practice. I did not have practice. The Tuesday night before my shift I barely slept. I kept my mind on other things like Twitter and Netflix, but I was always thinking about my shift in the back of my mind.
Next thing I know school ends and I am in my car.

I am sweating and my mind is racing, but at the same time I need to be on my game. Ten minutes later I am at the address. I pull up to an old elementary school where some rooms are rented out. I meet my mentor in the parking lot and she walks me to the door. She tells me she will take the first few calls so I can watch and listen in and get the feel of things. We get inside and the room is not what I expected. It is incredibly muggy in the room. The heater was still on and I could hear it roaring. Now I know it is okay to be sweating because the room is a sauna. Not only am I nervous, but now I am physically uncomfortable. We turned off the heater and opened some

windows.
I sat down in an old broken, but not broken chair. If I leaned back too far I would fall over. Now I could examine the room. It was an elementary school classroom. There were shelves, cabinets, and three office desks for the bosses. The working area, where I was sitting, was up against the wall across from the entrance. There were three small desks with telephones on each and a computer on each to record the calls. I signed into the computer and heard the phone ring. Luckily my mentor picked up and she did for the next three calls as well.
Game time. It was my turn to answer the next call. There I am sitting at the desk in my old chair waiting. Fifteen minutes go by and there has not been a call. I honestly thought that no one else would call. Then I hear the dreaded ring and this time it sounds like a scream. I hear another scream. And another.
I pick up. I almost forgot to say hello. Once I said hello and we introduced each other, the caller began to tell me about her problems. Thankfully she talked for a while to start the call and that really calmed me down. I felt a wave of relief and I realized I could actually do this and help this girl. Fortunately the caller did not have any super serious problems, that I, an unexperienced listener would have trouble dealing with. I ended up talking to her for about thirty minutes. She explained to me the problems she was having with her family and how it upset her. After she had things figured out we continued to talk for a little while longer. Once I got into a groove the call ended up flying by. When the call ended I felt like I could handle anything.
I learned so much from that one call. I realized how much the power of listening actually works. This caller had no one to talk to and I became the person she could confide in. She trusted me and in a way I trusted her. I am almost sure she does not remember me, but I definitely remember her. I will remember this experience forever, especially the way she felt and how sincerely she thanked me when I helped her. I continued volunteering for Community Helpline for a full year after this call. Working for this organization bothered me from time to time because I learned how many people are hurting in this world. At the same time it gave me such a great feeling every time I could help someone.