Personal Narrative: Community Helpline

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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 …show more content…

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 …show more content…

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

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