Listening to the community
Firstlink lends ear through hotlines
Talking and listening are important facets of successful communication, but they are also crucial parts of the Cass and Clay counties volunteer network, Firstlink.
Firstlink is a volunteer center designed to link people with their needed resources through trained volunteers, according to Firstlink’s Web site, www.firstlink.org. Firstlink is connected to over 100 volunteer agencies in the Fargo-Moorhead community.
Firstlink has many programs designed for volunteers. Some of the programs include the volunteer center and a holiday clearing bureau to help in events related to a specific season.
“ We have a 24-hour hotline and suicide line that (serves) for information and resources,” Tammy Foster-Johnson, director of the volunteer center, said.
The hotline is designed as a crisis prevention tool, but it also provides information referrals. Sarah Kemp, director of hotline operations, began as a hotline specialist for Firstlink.
The 24-hour suicide line is connected to calls across the nation, Kemp said.
Firstlink has certified the suicide line through the American Association of Suicidology in crisis intervention.
“ Our callers will never get a busy signal when they call us locally and we also get roll-over calls from all over the country,” Kemp said.
The hotline began in 1970 as a line for people concerned about drug use. Since the hotline’s beginning, it has evolved into a listening
network for other issues.
In 2005, the hotline received 22,000 calls, Kemp said.
“ There definitely is a need for hotline services in Fargo-Moorhead,” she said.
All types of people can use the hotline for many different purposes: “Anybody from someone looking for financial assistance to someone looking for a support group can use the hotline,” Kemp said.
Any person over 18 is able to be a volunteer. The person should also be compassionate, non-judgmental and a good communicator, Kemp said.
Volunteers must go through 32 hours of classroom training before answering calls for the hotline. The volunteers learn about suicide intervention, different areas of mental illness and how to be an active listener. Volunteers then listen to six hours of real hotline calls after training.
When volunteers begin to answer calls, they are guided by a veteran volunteer for the first 15 hours. Volunteers work in three-hour shifts for nine hours each month.
“ College-aged students are one of the biggest groups of our volunteers,” Kemp said. “They range a lot of different perspectives (and) a lot of different educational backgrounds.”
The first question the volunteer asks a new caller is the purpose of the call. About 30 percent of the calls received are for listening support, Kemp said.
“ Are they calling because they need information, a phone number, a support group or is it a crisis, which we first determine before anything,” she said. “We always make sure the person is safe.”
After learning what the caller’s need is, the volunteer will assist in the situation at hand. All volunteers are kept confidential in order to help the callers discuss their problems openly and without judgment.
Unlike counselors, the volunteers aren’t trained in giving advice or providing a solution to a caller’s problems, Kemp said.
New callers are constantly calling with different reasons, Kemp said. Each day varies between the types of calls received.
“ One of the exciting things about hotline is that it’s never boring,” she said. “You never know what you’re going to get.”
College students sometimes use the hotline because they are new to the area. Students call to learn about employment opportunities, city clubs, counseling or medical information.
“ I definitely encourage college students to use the hotline and suicide line because they’re going to get a lot of valuable information,” Kemp said. “Sometimes they just need somebody to talk to.”