Although some people think Nightline is full of Psychology students with identical timetables, we’re actually not a bunch of clones! Like any other society or organisation on campus, we’re a collection of students drawn from all aspects of student life, from pizza-loving philosophy students, to music-loving physicists. We’re a mixture of undergraduates and postgraduate students.
One thing we do all have in common is that we give up our nights to help run Nightline. Plus, we’re all anonymous volunteers, which is the reason you don’t see Nightline society hoodies on campus. As ‘Public Face’, my role is different to that of the other volunteers. I’m here to answer questions about the service and represent Nightline on campus.
Nightline is a confidential listening and information service, run by students, for students. Although there are preconceptions that you need a problem to visit or call Nightline, it couldn’t be further from the truth. Each night we open from 8pm to 8am for any type of call. We get calls from people wanting takeaway or taxi numbers, a hot drink and a chat, sexual health supplies, or wanting someone just to listen to any problem they may want to get off their chest. All our calls are treated in strict confidence (none of us volunteer to be nosey about other people’s problems!) and no calls are discussed afterwards, or even any details kept of who uses Nightline. Being the ‘public face’ means I no longer volunteer on nights and there are many things I miss about this. There are always two Nighltiners on duty on a night and spending 12 hours with someone, you get to know them very well. Like getting involved in other societies on campus, volunteering for Nightline means you meet many people outside of your halls and course and many of my good friends are people I met through Nightline.
Another myth about us as volunteers is that we all burn the midnight oil. Doing Nightline doesn’t mean we’re all insomniacs; there’s always the chance to grab a quick nap if it’s quiet, but staying up to watch sunrise over old Goodricke college is worth it (it actually looks almost nice at sunrise!) People often ask how busy we actually are, but the honest answer is that it’s impossible to say. No two nights are ever the same; I’ve had nights where hardly anybody calls, and then nights where we’ve been up all night taking calls. You honestly can never tell!
Like all societies on campus, you’ll be able to find Nightline at the Re-freshers fair, and ask Lizi and I any questions about the service. If you’re interested in volunteering, then get in touch by emailing * [email protected]. And don’t forget, everyone’s welcome to pop into the flat if you want to have a cup of tea, and chat to two of our volunteers, or keep our number safe if you want to chat and there’s nobody around at 3am.