A PROUD volunteer for Childline has told how she can help and comfort a kid in need – in less time than it takes her to scroll through her mobile phone. Elizabeth Donlon-Fox started off committing four hours a week to the charity, which was founded by Esther Rantzen in 1986 to offer youngsters confidential support with their worries. And, over a decade later, she now holds the position of co-ordinator.
Elizabeth wanted to give something back through ISPCC Childline after recognising not all kids have the safe and happy family upbringing she did. Urging others to get involved, she told the Irish Sun : “I scrolled seven or eight hours on my phone, but four hours a week is all that we ask volunteers to give to us.” Childline relies on thousands of volunteers to answer over 107,000 calls every year from children.
And this year, the Woodie’s Heroes Initiative has again chosen it as one of its charity beneficiaries. Any money donated in Woodie’s hardware stores or online will be split between four good causes, which also include Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland, Down Syndrome Ireland and the Children’s Health Foundation. Here, Elizabeth shares her story .
. . I COMMENCED volunteering oh, too many years ago — it started for me as I was classroom based at the time and I wanted to give something back.
I was very fortunate that I came from a great family, a great network, and — when you start to work with children in whatever sphere, education or social work — you come across stories that make you reflect. And I suppose that little piece of altruism makes you think, ‘Can I do something?’.” What’s four hours of my life if I can have an impact on somebody else’s? You gain these skills that are distilled on the training.
You go in thinking you’re going to fix things for children. But, for me, it’s ultimately about developing the skill to recognise that these children need a) to be listened to, and b) to be thinking critically, ‘What can I do for myself?’. So they learn, ‘Yes, I can reach out for help’.
And then it’s the next step of, ‘Okay, what can I do to help myself?’. It’s important for a child to be listened to, that they know there’s somebody there. The beautiful thing about Childline is there’s somebody there 24 hours a day, and there’s multiple ways for a child to contact us.
There was a young girl in the early hours of the morning once whose parent was passing away with her in the home, and there were people in and out of the home. And she had the wherewithal, she knew what was going on. But she just wanted a place to talk to someone, to go through what was going on, the people, the family coming in and out.
She just wanted to talk about normal things for her. She was missing school and missing out on friends, and she spoke to me for about 50 minutes. She was whispering.
The hospice were in, and she was whispering away, and we had a great conversation. And at the end, she said, ‘Can I keep talking to you, but can I text you?’. A young girl was chatting to me online and she was at a festival or concert.
She had just gone because everyone else was going, and she absolutely hated it. She was so, so miserable in herself, and annoyed at herself for going with the gang. She was questioning her own confidence and things like that.
So that’s the diversity of the calls that we get. There are so many children that are lonely or don’t know who to talk to about different things. This is all Childline asks for from their volunteers and you are really helping a young person.
They might not want to talk to their parent, their caregiver or their social worker. We would always try to bring them back, to get them care within their microsystem, someone who is more imminent and there for them. The amount of volunteers that I’ve worked alongside — there’s no age profile, anyone can volunteer if you want to listen, if you have empathy, if you care.
You won’t regret it. At the end of the week, you might go, ‘I scrolled seven or eight hours on my phone’, but four hours a week is all that we ask volunteers to give us. We answer over 107,000 calls per year, and that’s all volunteers.
There’s 107,000-plus calls that get answered for all those children. I want to say a huge thank you to Woodie’s. We’re just so appreciative of them considering Childline.
And I would call out to other funders as well. They’re more than welcome to call into our units, to meet our volunteers. The next recruitment we’re doing starts on September 13.
.
