What challenge inspired this recipe?
It has happened that some volunteers may drop out of the project early due to their mental health problems. To reduce the drop-our rate and help volunteering projects to be successful, positive and enriching experiences, it is important to create a safe space for them to talk and share about possible challenges with mental health. This will be beneficial not only for volunteers but also for the organization.
Ingredients :
A professional in mental health like therapist or psychologist, hot line number available, printed brochure about mental health issues and how to tackle these problems for the volunteers.
Step by step guide
Talking about mental health openly within the organization is important in creating a safer space. By making the topic less of a “taboo” can encourage the volunteer to share when they are facing struggles during their project.
Especially in Finland we have noticed the effects of the darker winter months in creating struggles with mental health even with volunteers who don’t have previous history with challenges with their mental health . To tackle this, we talk about this topic as this time of year is approaching and share tips on how to avoid seasonal depression.
It is also important to share information about crisis lines or online platforms that the volunteer can reach when they need to talk about their mental health problems, like panic attacks, anxiety, etc. The helpline should be mentioned in the website of the volunteer project, or in brochure, pamphlet when the volunteer arrives.
Important to highlight!This is a good practice for all organizations to minimize the chance of drop out from volunteers. To upscale, with better resources, we can make a whole therapy session available for volunteers in need whether it is face-to-face or online meeting. |
Before you start cooking, keep in mind…
One of the constraints is the resources needed to get a crisis line or an online platform which has a professional to help the volunteer. Another constraint can be that regardless of the organization’s support, volunteers may still not reach for help.
