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This International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the women in our amazing Shout Volunteer community

We currently have around 2,200 active Shout Volunteers per month, taking conversations around the clock with children, young people and adults in need of immediate support with their mental health. Of these volunteers, the large majority - around 1,870 - identify as female. Over the course of 2023, around 4,000 female volunteers dedicated their time to listening and responding empathetically to Shout texters through approximately 150,000 hours of conversations, making them feel heard and validated and helping them take their next steps towards feeling better.

We’re delighted to have had even more active female volunteers in 2023 than in 2022. This is despite wider UK volunteering levels declining in recent years: the 2023 Community Life Survey found the proportion of the UK population who had volunteered at least once a month in 2021/22 was 16%, down from about 23% in 2019/20.

Of Shout Volunteers who identify as female:

  • 54%

    are aged 18-34

  • 18%

    identify as LGB+

  • 32%

    are students

This makes for a wonderfully diverse community with plenty of opportunities for young - and older women to learn new skills and forge new career ambitions. 89% of our volunteers say the role allows them to keep developing their skills, 56% say it has provided a spur to continue studying and 17% say it has impacted on their job aspirations, inspiring them to change their career to something in the mental health field.

“I have aspirations of being a clinical psychologist and it’s giving me the resilience to keep going by seeing first hand how I can help people as well as help myself reach my goals.”

Female Shout Volunteer

The digital and remote aspects of the role make volunteering for Shout a more accessible and inclusive opportunity, with 16% of female Shout Volunteers considering themselves to have a disability. Volunteers come from every region of the UK, as well as from New Zealand, helping us keep the service open 24/7.

Women supporting women

In our volunteer community, the gender identities of our volunteers largely reflect those of our texters. In 2023, Shout Volunteers took 436,500 conversations with 174,600 texters identifying as female. Of these:

  • 51%

    are aged between 14-24

  • 11%

    were 13 or younger

  • 80%

    found their conversations helpful

"It is a privilege to be there for the huge number of texters who access the service every week, to listen, care and to stand with them as they find their way through difficult moments."

Del

Shout Volunteer

Two of our incredible female volunteers who give their time to support texters are mother and daughter, Karen and Tiffany.

Tiffany and Karen_1080x1080.png

Karen began volunteering for Shout at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and has since taken hundreds of conversations with children, young people and adults in mental health crisis. Daughter Tiffany joined Shout more recently, inspired by her mother’s compassion and understanding for the need for mental health support, particularly among young people.

Volunteering for Shout has given them the opportunity to share their experiences, bond over their volunteer journeys and provide crucial support to the people who have texted Shout.

"We have both learnt a lot on the journey with Shout – becoming more informed, less judgemental, more empathetic and our understanding of many mental health issues has increased."

Karen and Tiffany

Shout Volunteers

This International Women's Day, consider joining our community of Shout Volunteers.

Find out more and sign up below.

Apply to become a Shout Volunteer

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