Volunteer as a Sekasin-chat duty worker
The Sekasin chat is a chat service for people aged 12–29 and is available throughout the country. The Sekasin chat has extensive opening hours all year, every day. Volunteers on call in the Sekasin chat offer young people the opportunity to talk about and receive help with matters weighing on their mind.
You can be on call in the chat comfortably in your own home, and in addition to your own computer and internet connection, you only need a quiet and private space. All in all, it will take about an hour to have one discussion and record the related statistics.
The Sekasin chat is provided by the Sekasin collective consisting of various operators and coordinated by the Finnish Red Cross, MIELI Mental Health Finland, the Finnish Federation of Settlement Houses and SOS Children’s Villages.
How can I become a volunteer in the Sekasin chat?
You can become a Sekasin chat volunteer by signing up and completing an online course of approximately eight hours familiarising you with the volunteer’s role. All volunteers are also interviewed and their criminal records are checked to verify that they can work with children. Before being on call independently, volunteers will host a supported chat session together with an experienced volunteer.
Who can volunteer on call in the Sekasin chat?
You can become a Sekasin chat volunteer if you are at least 23 years old and have the maturity and sufficient resources to deal with challenging and difficult topics of discussion. Volunteers should also have an interest in young people, their thoughts and the different phenomena in their lives, as well as a basic understanding of mental health, themes of adolescence and psychosocial support.
The desire to improve as an online volunteer and learn new things is important, as is the fact that your own life situation is balanced. All volunteers are interviewed and their criminal records are checked to verify that they can work with children before starting their tasks.
You can participate in this task with fluent skills in either Finnish or Swedish.
What kind of support will Sekasin chat volunteers receive?
Volunteers are never alone during on-call shifts; chat workers are always available for support and help when necessary. Volunteers are also provided with regular work supervision that helps to deal with the emotions stirred up by the discussions and provides support for dealing with challenging situations. Volunteers will also have access to a large material bank as well as the opportunity to participate in additional training on different topics.
