Mental Health Volunteer Opportunities, Suicide Prevention Volunteer Work

INTERVENTION

peer support

A young person experiencing thoughts or feelings of suicide can feel alone and isolated. It can be especially hard for marginalised youth to access support or help. Services that do exist are few, and often do not address young people’s needs or context.

A peer is someone who may have had similar experiences as us or is from the same social background. Sharing our feelings and receiving non-judgmental support from a peer can be helpful when one is experiencing emotional distress or thoughts of suicide. This is why providing peer support is an integral part of Outlive’s suicide prevention program.

How does Outlive’s peer support program work?

How can young people be a part of Outlive’s peer support program?

Who can apply to be an Outlive peer supporter?

Who can apply to be an Outlive peer mentor?

How does Outlive’s peer support program work?

Outlive’s peer support program aims to improve young people’s access to peer support for youth suicide prevention. As part of the program, we are training a network of young volunteers across India as peer supporters to provide chat-based emotional support to youth experiencing distress or having thoughts of ending their life. Outlive’s peer supporters are supported by Outlive peer mentors through individual and group mentoring.

Who can apply to be an Outlive peer supporter?

You don’t need to have a background or qualification in mental health or suicide prevention to become an Outlive peer supporter.

We are looking for young people who:

are 18-24 years old
reside in India
are fluent in English, Hindi, Marathi or Kannada
own a device with internet access

If you are passionate about youth suicide prevention, apply to become an Outlive peer supporter today!

Who can apply to be an Outlive peer mentor?

We are looking for young people who:

have recently completed postgraduate degree in clinical/counselling psychology, social work in mental health or related fields
reside in India
are fluent in English, Hindi, Marathi or Kannada.
own a device with internet access
have strong interpersonal, and verbal & written communication skills
work well with individuals and groups
and most importantly, are passionate about youth suicide prevention and keen to help train, support, and mentor peer supporters!

Prior work experience in the following areas is desirable: peer support, working with helplines or suicide prevention support services, counselling, psychosocial support, conducting trainings, and mentoring & supervision. Learn more about becoming a peer mentor.

Testimonials

The peer supporter was very supportive and reassured me exactly how I wanted to be reassured.

Outlive chat support seeker

She helped me out; she is a good one who supported me when I was feeling lonely. Now I am feeling good because of that peer, thanks to this platform!

Outlive chat Support seeker

The volunteering brought a sense of purpose and despite the limited people I could help through the platform, I know the learnings will remain for life. I try to utilize them in my everyday conversations and focus on my own well-being through self-care.

Outlive peer supporter (volunteering feedback)

For me it was an eye-opener about how mental health is connected to suicide.

Outlive YASP Fellow

The workshops were engaging, and the team was very open. I got to learn alot from the other mentors and the collaborative process really added to the learning. The workshops provided structure and a lot of clarity for the project and the expectations and now I am eager to take this forward.

Outlive peer supporter (training feedback)

This program helped me to look past the preconceived notions and misinformation regarding suicide prevention and gain an evidence-based understanding of the struggles and factors affecting suicide especially in young adults. The facilitators were very knowledgeable and created a safe space for the supporters to ask questions and resolve doubts. The in-depth approach really helped me imbibe the training given and use it effectively

Outlive peer supporter (training feedback)

I learnt how to be more empathetic and also got a real picture of how events can affect individuals. It's hard to accept when one hasn't experienced similar events, but the impact can be detrimental, and in those times it's important to reach out to a safe space. Outlive does that.

Outlive peer supporter (volunteering feedback)

Made me very independent and direct - confident - we were able to highlight the points that we wanted implemented. YASP gave us this empowerment to do it as youth - empowered us to speak in front of these policymakers.

Outlive YASP Fellow