Volunteers Week Scotland: Phoebe

I’m Phoebe (she/her) and I live in Edinburgh with my girlfriend, working from home.

How did you find out about LGBT Health and Wellbeing first and what was your journey to then becoming a volunteer?

I first found out about the helpline at LGBT Health and Wellbeing in 2013 when my flatmate was volunteering. Hearing about her experience, I knew I wanted to volunteer one day. I contacted the organisation a few years later, once I’d gained a bit of life experience and resilience. The Helpline Coordinator was so friendly and helped me work out whether the role was right for me.

Can you tell us a little bit more about your role?

As a helpline volunteer, I take calls from LGBT Health and Wellbeing office in Edinburgh for one evening a fortnight. The organisation kindly provided me with a landline phone to allow me to continue this from home over lockdown. We also provide a live chat service for those who aren’t able to phone and we respond to queries by email. As helpline volunteers, our role is to be a non-judgmental, listening ear to anyone who needs emotional support, advice or just a chat. We can also help with signposting to other services and providing information. One of the most valuable things we can give as helpline volunteers is the knowledge that a caller can speak to someone who likely shares some common experience with them and who they will not have to explain themselves to, as they might be required to do out in the world.

What are you the most proud of as a volunteer?

I am most proud of the team we have built and the support we give to one another. I have also been proud when I’ve been able to provide a space for a caller to voice something they haven’t been able to say aloud before. When I hear how much relief someone feels to be supported in this, it brings home how important helplines like ours are for people in our community.

What would you like to achieve as a volunteer?

As a volunteer I want to achieve a sense of community with my team and with the wider organisation. I believe in mutual aid and I know that this is a way I can give support to people who need it, as I have been supported myself. It’s also a great way to build my counselling and listening skills as well as my personal resilience.

What would you like to change for the LGBT+ community?

I want trans liberation and self-determination for trans people in the UK. Proper funding for trans health services should be a priority. Maybe some of that corporate Pride profit can be given to people in the local community. That would be a happy Pride!

Do you have a role model? Someone that inspires you?

Dolly Parton is my role model. She is a woman who works incredibly hard to make other people’s lives more joyful and hasn’t compromised her values to get to the top. Plus, she is the most talented singer and a camp icon.