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JUNE 2020: DUE TO COVID-19 CONCERNS THE SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE IS CLOSED TO TRAINING, SAN FRANCISCO BAY VOLUNTEERS CAN STILL APPLY, BUT WILL NEED TO BE ABLE TO TRAIN REMOTELY FOR THE TIME BEING.

Chat Room Moderator
​Volunteer Application

Youth Chat Rooms

Since their inception, the youth Chat Rooms have provided a Safe Space for youth under the age of 19 to find support and acceptance.  Many of our LGBTQIA youth do not have the options open to older individuals and may not have access to local support or a place to find someone who will listen and give them the support they need.  Because of this isolation they also may not know many or any other LGBTQIA folks.  The Chat Rooms provides a place they can go on a weekly basis and find some of the support they deserve to have in their lives.

The Chat Rooms are Safe Spaces where they can be open with their feelings, talk about fears or doubts, but also talk about the victories and good things that have happened in their lives.  Being an online chat room where young people can come week after week; they can form friendships and create support circles.  The chat rooms can be places to be themselves and let their guards down.  It can be a place to vent over a hard day or to talk about their first shot of testosterone.  At times the rooms can be serious and the conversation can be about coming out, discrimination or bullying, but other times it can be about favorite bands, or the latest show binged on Netflix. 

The role of the Moderators is to create a Safe Space where youth can feel they can be open with their emotions and express themselves freely.  This can be accomplished by kind and affirming words, giving each youth the respect they deserve and protecting the chat room from pranks or verbal attacks.  Sometimes the Moderator will lead a discussion, ask open-ended questions or answer questions about the LGBTQIA community. 

Volunteer requirements:
 
Moderators must be at least 18 years old.
-Commit to a 2 hour shift each week for at least 12 months (starting after training)
-Basic internet knowledge
-Ability to type and communicate in English
-Mature nature, but able to connect with young people
-Strong conversation skills greatly sought.
Because there this is a form of peer support, and for youth to feel more comfortable with an adult leading the room, Moderators must identify with the theme of the particular room they are applying for.

-For the LGBT chat room, Moderator must identify anywhere on the LGBTQ spectrum.
-For the Transgender chat rooms, Moderator must identify as Transgender. (Moderators will run two separate rooms, the main teen room and a lesser used under 13 room)
-For the Asexual chat room, Moderator must identify as Asexual/Aromatic.
(A potential Moderator can apply for more than one room if they identify with more than one label)

If you are selected as a volunteer, we want to stress the importance of feeling highly confident that you can honor your commitment of being available for your Chat Room shift (with the exception of illness or vacation). Some volunteer opportunities lend themselves to great flexibility.  This is NOT the case with this type of work, since a Moderator is required for the Chat Rooms to open and young people are counting on this space to be available to them.  If a Moderator does not show up for their shift, the room can not open.  So please, give careful thought to your schedule to make sure you feel comfortable with making this commitment.  

Training
Volunteer Chat Room Moderators will go through a training program that consists of several parts:

-Completing the application below
-Interview with Administration staff.  This will be a chance to get to know us, and for us to get to know you.  We’ll be able to answer questions you may have, and we can see on both ends if this would be a good fit.
-Complete an online study course
-Shadow a current Moderator for several sessions before joining in as a Moderator.
 
We realize there are many volunteering opportunities out there and we want to thank you for your interest in volunteering with us!
 
Please fill out the application below and we will get in touch with you shortly.
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(contact information in application form will only be used for correspondence and will not be shared with any third parties)

    Moderator Application Form  

    * = must be answered 
    * * * I M P O R T A N T * * *
    We are deeply honored that you are interested in volunteering with the LGBT National Help Center.  
    Volunteering with us requires a substantial time commitment.  Training is a multi-step process, and then we ask that you can commit to a weekly shift and that you can DEPENDABLY work your shift each week for at least one year after you finish training.

    It is important that you feel confident that you can honor this weekly commitment while training AND when becoming a Chat Room Moderator volunteer.  
    Some volunteer opportunities lend themselves to a lot of flexibility and if you don’t show up for your shift there are others who can fill in for you.  That is NOT the case with this type of volunteering.  When volunteering, if you don’t show up for your shift, the Chat Room can't open and this service becomes unavailable to the youth who need it. 
    So please, give careful thought about your schedule and availability to make sure you are comfortable making this type of commitment.  We also commit to you that we will give you the training and support you need to enable you to feel prepared and excited about volunteering with us.  

    Please type YES in the box below to state that you understand the responsibility and commitment needed to be a peer-support volunteer.
    Because our the youth in our Chat Rooms define "peer" as being either gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, asexual/aromantic our Moderator volunteers need to fall into one of these categories depending on the room they wish to volunteer in.  (Please note that if you do not, you can contact us about other volunteer opportunities.)

    Please read the following:

    Individuals may volunteer for the LGBT National Help Center in many different capacities.  Relevant to the programs they are volunteering for, the Help Center does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth), disability, age, citizen status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression, HIV status, military or veteran status and other reasons as protected by law.

    Individuals who specifically want to become Chat Room Moderator volunteers must be at least 18 years of age, and because our youth define “peer” as someone who identifies as LGBTQIA, our peer-support volunteers must identify as part of the LGBTQIA community.
     
    We understand that everyone comes with their own history, experiences and levels of education and knowledge on LGBTQIA issues.  We use our training program to help potential peer-support volunteers gain the skills and knowledge needed to create a Safe Space for our community to feel comfortable to talk about issues and concerns in their lives. 

    It’s important that you:
    -Feel you can ask questions when you’re not sure on something (there are no foolish questions, this is how we learn)
    -Have the willingness to identify areas where you can grow
    -Have the ability for self-reflection
    -Accept constructive guidance
    -Have the willingness to learn
     
    The LGBT National Help Center provides support to those seeking affirmation and acceptance, and we strive to create a safe space for all.  We accept people as they are and how they wish to be addressed, this includes and is not limited to, using the pronouns, names and labels those who contact us use for themselves. 

    Peer-Support volunteers will not make out going calls, will not give out personal identifying information or meet with callers/chatters.  Peer-Support volunteers will also not make calls on behalf of callers/chatters. 

    The LGBT National Help Center reserves the right to remove volunteers who are unable to comply with our mission and values during training or while on shift.  We will work with you to make training an enjoyable learning experience, but please give careful thought about volunteering and your openness in learning.
    Almost done, we promise!

    If you are interested in volunteering remotely please complete the next section.
    ​
    ​ If you are interested in volunteering in San Francisco please skip and click SUBMIT.

    Moderators can work remotely from their own personal computer using our web-based secure website program. You must have a basic working knowledge of how to use the internet.  You must have a computer with a reliable internet connection.  You must have a quiet, private space to volunteer from.  You cannot use a smartphone or tablet.  

    Browser requirement: Google Chrome Version 75 or above.

    Remote volunteers will be trained through a combination of phone and online methods.  Moderators will be using our web-based secure website to run the Chat Rooms.  This will pull a certain amount of data.      To help ensure training is viable, please open a separate tab and go to www.SpeedTest.net and Click "Begin Test  or GO".   When the test is complete, please report the 3 test results here.  If you don't fill this this part out, we can't know if your internet access is capable to run our Chat Room program.

    **REMOTE VOLUNTEER APPLICATIONS WITHOUT THE BELOW SPEED TEST INFORMATION WILL BE DISREGARDED.**
    Our chat rooms are anonymous, which means we have made a promise not to ask for identifying information.  We also do not report chatters or make out going calls for them, though during the course of our chatrooms we can provide them the tools they can use if they require to contact additional resources for their health and safety.  

    Potential volunteers who identify as mandated reporters in their professional lives must have the ability to remove those restrictions during the time they are volunteering with us.  We understand that some professions do not allow for that.  If that is the case for you, this type of volunteering isn’t going to be the right fit.  If you identify as a mandated reporter and are not sure if you are able to legally remove those restrictions from yourself, you may need to contact a lawyer or employer before continuing on with this application.    ​

    AND IF YOU ARE APPLYING TO BE A REMOTE VOLUNTEER MAKE SURE YOU LIST YOUR SPEED TEST RESULTS OTHERWISE WE CAN DETERMINE YOUR ABILITY TO VOLUNTEER OUTSIDE OUR OFFICE.
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