About Volunteering

Volunteers are always directly and ethically responsible for the consequences of their own actions and behaviours.

Disclaimer: Release of liability

By joining as a volunteer, you hereby indemnify and agree to keep The SAFE U Initiative, its management team, other volunteers and partnering organisations fully indemnified against all claims, loss or damage whatsoever in respect of death, injury, disability or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from any cause in 
connection with all programmes within the initiative.

A Note to Volunteers

We screen you predominantly by your performance on the job. We need to determine if you can react to different situations in a safe, responsible and kind manner. These attributes are in line with our values.

If you think we simply screen you based on a few basic questions or an interview, you will be wrong. We can question you and receive exemplary replies, but it doesn't guarantee that you can perform well in your role. We give opportunities to individuals who may not have the necessary qualifications and training but who have shown promise and a willingness to learn and improve. Conversely, prior experience at other mental health organisations and a recognised qualification are desirable but may not be enough to progress to further training. This is because we need volunteers to be receptive to adapting the ways they do things such that they can combine their knowledge and experience with what we are trying to achieve here at the initiative. If you are a person who likes comparing and criticising organisations for your own pleasure, you should not be applying because we will not condone any nonsense which takes time away from the work we do. 

We do not tolerate destructive criticism and defamation. We also discourage snooping or prying behaviour which causes intrusion and annoyance. 

We always offer opportunities for volunteers to provide constructive feedback. If you refuse to be constructive and take full responsibility for your words and actions, we reserve the right to expel you and/or take legal action. Always reflect upon your own behaviour before lashing out and wronging people for your own inadequacies and misdeeds. 

We discourage meddlesome or prying behaviour because it distracts the volunteer from focusing on their work. It is okay to ask pertinent questions related to volunteer work but not irrelevant ones which intrude into another volunteer's privacy. It can be extremely annoying to deal with inappropriate questioning so please refrain from such behaviour. There are times for socialising but this is definitely not it. 

Concentrate on doing a good job as someone's life depends on it. A defiant attitude and refusal to follow safety instructions will not be tolerated.

We also ask that you follow instructions given to you. These are often necessary safety procedures or advice to help guide your actions. It is okay to ask questions to clarify at appropriate moments but also learn to do so in a respectful manner. We will be annoyed if you can't communicate politely and start being defiant or abusive. Please try not to question or reply like these non-exhaustive examples:

Why you....? Why do you...? Why must I...? Why should I...? Why the heck/fu*k...? Shouldn't you....? Must I do.....? Can you explain why you (shows screenshots*)...? Can you tell me why you (show screenshots*)...? Are you...? I think you should...? What you talking? What you want? We don't do things like this at my previous organisation. Tbh, I (*hate/dislike*) all of you and (*tons of accusations and abuse*).  

And finally, don't ever use Ya to reply.

Why so serious? If you cannot interact properly with us, chances are that you will find it extremely difficult to interact and even help a person with mental health difficulties.

For example, an individual diagnosed with a mental disorder can suffer from oversensitivity to words, feelings and thoughts. You need to be able to help them without accidentally triggering overstimulation through thoughtlessness and causing them to feel overwhelmed. Such a nonchalant act can actually be a tipping point in an episode of emotional distress or suicidal crisis. Think before you speak, read more before you think.

If you expect to be taught step-by-step on how to deal with every single mental health situation, we can't teach you since we do not advocate or provide rehearsed responses. 

This is because rehearsed or scripted responses can be easily detected as insincere. If you tried a text service or a crisis hotline, you may be wondering why the person on the other side of the line is parroting every single thing you say. This is active listening done badly. We ask you to respond as you would a friend or family member. Worried you might make a mistake? We are always on hand to support you. We also encourage you to take up mental health workshops to build up your knowledge. This is the frontline and not meant to be a place for spoon feeding. We can help you with volunteer work but we cannot change your attitude towards learning. 

You learn the most by taking responsibility and seeking timely assistance from the team. Learn to ask the right questions at the right time. Learn to treat someone you help humanely and not as a target of your inner fears. 

Our training model is heavily geared towards on-the-job training. We prefer you to learn while doing so that you will better understand your strengths and limitations. While we can give you a textbook size manual and ask you to memorise, seeking advice directly from our team allows you to internalise important bite-sized lessons in a highly efficient way. There is literally nothing we cannot help. We cannot help only when you don't have the courage to ask or fear the person you are helping. If you fear your own buddy for reasons other than abuse, maybe you are here with the wrong expectations. 

This is why our SAFE U Buddy (SUB) programme is also positioned as a preparatory phase for volunteers who wish to go into further training. If you find yourself struggling to cope with your emotions or we find that you lack accountability, you will not be allowed to progress. We are not harsh, we just take lives very seriously. 

Not all volunteers are suitable for further training. They may lack the character, sense of responsibility or even have some form of misconception towards people with mental health problems. This is why we find it absolutely necessary to screen volunteers based on their on-the-job performance in the buddy programme. This is a guidance-on-demand form of training process to allow you to experience mental health up close and personal without adulteration. We do not put on a show for you to rehearse. When instructed to, you must be able to muster the courage to call IMH or the police to avert a possible life-threatening event. 

If you can't work comfortably with people with mental health issues or overcome your own fear and misconceptions towards them, you won't have the capability to handle suicidal cases. 

We do not actually aim for a large number of volunteers just to support our services. We would rather have a smaller number of committed, passionate and kind-hearted volunteers who can remain calm under pressure and be responsible for people under their charge. If free training and certificates are what you want, you can consider other mental health organisations. Further training here at the initative, while free of charge, will be given priority to people who are humble, composed and have proven themselves to be capable. 

Important Points to Remember at All Times

We ask that you fully understand and always remember these pertinent points in your duty as a volunteer of The SAFE U Initiative:

1. Understand that there is always an element of risk: Dealing with mental health issues and/or suicide is challenging. Individuals may be dishonest about their diagnoses and you may not always do or say the right things. These are considered human factors and do not necessarily reflect badly on you or diminish the value of the work we are doing at The SAFE U Initiative.

2. Always maintain a low threshold of suspicion because it is not easy to assess the person's acute suicide state: Maintaining a low threshold of suspicion is not the same as reporting someone to the police whenever you panic. It means always keeping a lookout for warning signs no matter how insignificant they may seem. For example, sudden behavioural changes from anger to calmness. Consult your senior volunteers if you are unsure, no one will scold you for trying to save a life. It is not encouraged to guess what is a person's critical state for suicide. Everyone's tolerability to adverse life events is different. When you think from your own perspective, you miss out on the subtle signals of distress that you are supposed to monitor.

3. It is your ethical responsibility to report harmful behaviour and seek help in a timely manner: When you feel that the person you are helping has safety concerns, do not wait it out and see if you can handle it yourself. You may not be able to assess the situation accurately. Suicide is notoriously known for having a very short suicide ideation to attempt time interval. Even if the person is not in immediate danger, reporting and seeking help is important in taking precautionary measures to avoid or minimise harm to self and others. This is about being ethical and having a sense of responsiblity. We cannot teach you how to be ethical or how to be more responsible. We can only support you to make the right decisions if you seek help immediately. Please do not ever risk someone's life. You will be traumatised for life if someone dies because of your negligence.

4. Please do not have a confrontational attitude: If you want people to take you seriously, behaving in a self-righteous and unfriendly manner is the last thing you should do. It is not okay to demand things your way and try to reason with biased perceptions. What we do here is not meant to serve your needs. We serve the needs of the whole community of volunteers. If you don't follow the safety precautions, for example, don't blame the programme's safety standards.

When a situation escalates, you are often directly responsible since the volunteer is the first point of contact. Did you say something to induce suicidal behaviour? Did you forget to seek advice from us at the earliest warning sign of suicide? Reflect if you have been overconfident and perhaps harbouring the idea that you are above everyone else? If you have that idea, have the guts to prove your worth and show us how you can make the programmes even better. It is cowardice and totally unacceptable to blame others for what is essentially your duty as a frontline volunteer. You take responsibility for the consequences of your own actions and behaviours. No one will ever blame you if you did nothing wrong.

5. Lived experience should not lead to self-entitlement: We are fortunate to have volunteers who have mental health training. We are also more than happy to provide volunteer opportunities to individuals who have lived experience. Nonetheless, we had a terrible encounter with one volunteer with lived experience who felt that she was better than the trained volunteers and wanted to determine how the programme should run. She was only allowed to be a listening buddy for simple mental health issues. Not everyone is suitable to be trained for suicide intervention because one needs to remain calm under pressure, have a earnest attitude and preferably have previously attended a suicide intervention workshop.

If a volunteer is not focused, needs to be spoon fed and has been excessively annoying others in an preparatory listening buddy role (i.e., laypersons volunteers who do not require specific training), it is obvious that the person is the issue rather than receiving training itself. It is presumptuous to demand for advanced training if one has failed to acquire the basics. No training will help a self-entitled person who has no capacity to reflect upon his/her limitations.

6. Please do not flaunt your previous experience at other mental health organisations: We are actually very happy to have volunteers with diverse experiences and skills. However, previous experience is not an advantage when it comes to selection of volunteers. We had one applicant who tried to flaunt his 4 years of volunteer experience at a non-profit to gain an interview advantage. When it was apparent that it was not working, he attempted to cut ties with his former organisation. What we see is a lack of loyalty and fickle-mindedness which make him unsuitable for any volunteer role. 

Similarly, the volunteer with lived experience (Point 5) cited her experience at a support group social enterprise as a plus point and openly idolised the founder since they both had lived experience of mental health. It is weird that she is not continuing at the social enterprise if she is so happy there but choose to keep criticising others without contributing when she cam over. These are red flags that she is putting on airs and refusing to accept change. 

If you do not wish to start from scratch and embrace a new learning journey with us, just go back to wherever you are happy at. Please don't let your ego get in the way of other people, because you don't know a thing about the fellow volunteers you are working with. They may be more qualified, experienced and willing to learn than you. Do not ever disrespect the work we do or criticise your co-workers. This is a non-negotiable. You'll be asked to leave immediately if all you can think is yourself. 

“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.”

Meister Eckhart