Volunteers

Requirements

Befrienders are ordinary people. You have probably traveled with a Befrienders on the train or waited next to one in the supermarket. You may even work with someone who is a Befrienders. What makes Befrienders special is their discretion, reliability, open-mindedness and patience. They are willing to spend some of their time each week supporting those who are in need.
Befrienders volunteers come from every walk of life. They are teachers, professionals, secretaries, students, writers, the self-employed, and retired people. The only things they have in common are their ability to put the caller first and to give them unconditional time and space to explore their emotions. Formal qualifications and previous experience are not requirements for being a good listener. What is needed is the ability to really listen to others, to refrain from giving advice, to leave your own religious or political opinions at the door and to abide by the Befrienders principles and practices.

All of our volunteers are English speaking, but many also speak other languages, including Chinese and Malay.
Could you be a Befrienders?


Try this simple test:

• Lisa is 14 and pregnant. Should she agree to have an abortion?
• Eric is 26 and HIV-positive. Should he tell his family?
• Lily is 43. Her husband has a girlfriend in China. Should she leave him?
• Albert is 68, and in constant pain from cancer. Would it be right for him to take an overdose?

If you answered ‘YES’ to these questions, then Befriending work is probably not for you. If you answered ‘NO’…. then Befriending work is still probably not for you.

But if you weren't sure, if you can listen to people tell their stories without making judgments, please do contact us. We desperately need people like you. You can call us at 03-79571306 or email us at admin@befrienders.org.my

How to Apply

There is no intake for this year due to our 40th year anniversary celebration.
Please watch this space for next year's session.

Training

Volunteer training and selection are vital because they ensure the best possible service for our callers. Befrienders are not professional counselors but they are trained volunteers, not just well intentioned amateurs.

The Befrienders Training Course is a creative learning process during which people work together to share and develop the sum of their knowledge, skills and experience. At the end of the course, you may still be tentative about your first duty, but you will be fully prepared. Preparation is about fine-tuning your listening skills and giving you the knowledge and confidence to support callers in crisis. You will gain experience of the types of calls that you may receive through skills practice, exercises and group discussions. You will learn how to respond to callers using Befrienders principles and practices.

In the process you will gain knowledge about yourself. You may begin to question your own assumptions. You will then be ready to listen in a non-judgmental way. You will learn to leave your own opinions and beliefs at the door of the Centre, and on finishing your duties, you learn to leave the callers and their problems in the centre for the next Befriender to deal with.