Chinese Emotional Support Hotline Volunteer – Super Stars of the Month March
This month, the hotline has selected two volunteers. hotline listeners Lea and Nan Nan. Lea is a mother from Hong Kong in October 2020. Her usual life is to go to work, take care of her daughter’s daily meals, homework, and some chores at home. Lea previously worked in Retail and Customer Service in Hong Kong for more than ten years.
Lea initially volunteered for the hotline because she wanted to use her past work experience and communication skills to help those in need. This is the first time in her life that she has volunteered. At first, she didn’t expect to have interviews and mock phone calls, which made her feel that Ecssen Career School also has certain requirements for volunteers and is very serious about this matter.
When she first started volunteering, there was a certain amount of pressure. She usually communicated with people face-to-face, and the hotline only listened to callers over the phone, and because Lea’s native language was Cantonese, she had to use Mandarin to communicate with others. Communication in mandarin is also a big challenge. But because the volunteer team was very supportive and gave her the opportunity to try it, she continued to do it without pressure after that. She is really grateful.
Lea feels that it is a very meaningful job to be a hotline volunteer, and the volunteers are constantly learning and improving. When faced with a problem that they do not know how to solve, everyone helps each other to find the answer. Ai Lian, the vice-principal of Ecssen Career School and the founder of the hotline, will also use her professional advice to help everyone. It is like a big family.
Lea believes that self-cherish is very important. As a professional hotline volunteer, volunteers need to be full of positive energy all the time to help callers solve their problems. When we encounter calls that need emotional support, most of us receive negative energy, so volunteers need a lot of positive energy to defeat these negative energy to help them solve their puzzles, and listening is also a good help. Lea prefers to go out for a walk, enjoy the sunshine, go for a walk in the supermarket or shopping mall, chat with relatives and friends in Hong Kong, and sometimes achieve self-care by watching TV and reading Buddhist books. In short, do something you enjoy to de-stress.
For those friends who have encountered difficulties in life, Lea believes that everything should be considered from various aspects, not just one. There are always more solutions than problems. Many people will say why it is always me who gets hurt. In fact, when we observe from the perspective of others, we will find that everyone has their own challenges. Let go of your heart and have more understanding, and your world will naturally be more beautiful!
Nan Nan has become a volunteer star for the second time. Nan Nan has always been curious about the outside world after watching “Around the World in 80 Days” as a child, so she chose to study in Canada alone 20 years ago. After entering the workplace, she worked in universities and companies successively. Joined the self-employed a few years ago and started volunteering with some charities in her spare time. This life makes her feel full and meaningful.
In the group of the emotional support hotline, Nan Nan has come into contact with many enthusiastic people who are willing to serve the Chinese community. Nan Nan herself has become more proactive about topics and activities related to immigrant groups and communities. For friends who want to join the hotline team, Nan Nan would like to say: This is a very meaningful job. In the daily life as a Chinese immigrant who work hard in a foreign country, it is inevitable to accumulate many complex emotions. Callers need a trustworthy space to talk to others and get support and help from their fellow citizens. In her opinion, being a hotline volunteer requires not only love and patience, but also listening to the caller as a bystander. Because after all, without the same experience, it is difficult for most people to empathize with them. Judgment without mixing personal values is the greatest respect for the caller.
Nan Nan believes that self-cherishing is very important. After all, many of our volunteers have multiple jobs in their lives. It is necessary for volunteers on the hotline to understand some self-coaching methods to reduce stress. In recent years, Nan Nan came into contact with the concept of Zen and what is true meditation. With in-depth study and practice, she began to embark on a path back to her heart. Let her turn from finding happiness and excitement in the colorful world outside to seeking true peace and joy inward. In addition, being away from the city from time to time and getting in touch with nature can make people feel comfortable. Exercise can also adjust people’s emotions and maintain physical and mental balance. Like biking, jogging, mountain climbing, skiing, etc. are all her favorite outdoor sports.
For friends who have encountered some difficulties in life, and there are no family members and friends who can help, the quicker way is to call the emotional support hotline. Volunteers will provide various inquiries and resource information at the corresponding provincial and municipal levels. If you have other unpleasant thoughts, you can also chat with the volunteers on the hotline.
