MindOut – PoC volunteer experience
Aaliyah What do you enjoy about your role?
I am very proud to be an Online Service Volunteer for MindOut. I enjoy being able to make a positive impact on other people and it is an extremely rewarding experience. Often a service user will start the chat feeling very hopeless and low, but by the end of the conversation they feel uplifted and seen. The ability to witness that change ourselves, and hear the service user tell us how much we have cheered them up is empowering. It reminds us of the profound impact we can have on other people simply through compassionate listening.
As a PoC volunteer, I feel honoured to represent the PoC LGBTQ+ community and help others who have experienced similar struggles or may feel invisible. Being PoC and LGBTQ+ can be a challenging experience to navigate and can affect our mental health in various different ways. Often it is quite an isolating experience as we don’t feel fully accepted in LGBTQ+ spaces or PoC centred spaces. Furthermore, the topic of mental health is often seen as a taboo subject within ethnic communities making it difficult to reach out for support. In my personal experience, my mental health has been greatly affected by instances of microaggressions and discrimination in both LGBTQ+ and PoC spaces. Therefore, being able to volunteer for MindOut and provide a safe space for PoC service users, is a role that means a lot to me personally.
Why / How you decided to support MindOut
As someone who has lived experience of mental health and struggled accessing support in the past, I understand just how isolating it can be. I was previously diagnosed with severe depression and moderate anxiety, as well as struggling with suicidal thoughts and disordered eating. Initially, I did not receive the mental health support I needed which made me feel like a complete burden and my depression worsened. Several years later, I am doing much better but for a long time I didn’t think this would even be possible. I still struggle with anxiety, however, it is a lot more manageable now. Whilst my mental health has improved drastically since my diagnosis, I still remember exactly how I felt and this is why I chose to volunteer at MindOut. I want to help others who may be going through similar struggles and support them in ways I was not supported. I am very grateful to MindOut for giving me this opportunity to give back and offer hope to those who may be feeling lost and alone, just as I once did. Remember things can and will get better!
During my master’s I also wrote a dissertation exploring discrimination amongst queer South Asian women (QSAW), and intersectionality was one of the most prominent themes. One finding was that QSAW struggled receiving mental health support that was understanding of their intersecting experiences being a PoC woman as well as LGBTQ+. By choosing to volunteer for an organisation like MindOut, I hope to represent those in my community and help them feel better understood when accessing mental health support. I would love to be the PoC LGBTQ+ representation I never had growing up and provide a more nuanced understanding of mental health, something I didn’t have access to. Also knowing that MindOut is led by a QSAW is incredibly inspiring to me and reaffirms that I made the right decision choosing to volunteer here.
What is challenging, and what are you learning in this role?
Whilst it is amazing that MindOut is accessible to people all over the world, it can sometimes be challenging supporting people in countries where it is dangerous to be LGBTQ+. We have had PoC service users reach out for support from countries where it is illegal to be LGBTQ+ or even punishable by death, and hearing their stories can be heartbreaking. I sometimes feel quite helpless knowing that there is not much I can do other than listen and empathise. However, I remind myself that I might be the only person they are able to talk to about their sexuality and mental health. Simply listening to someone else’s story can make a huge difference, especially for PoC service users. Additionally, it can be quite challenging not hearing from a regular service user again after they have confided in me their difficult circumstances and traumatic experiences. I do wonder how they are coping and worry about their wellbeing. I think it is important to remind myself that perhaps we have given them all the support they need, and they are either in a better place or have the newfound confidence to seek further support elsewhere.
What has a service user said that you remember and had a surprising or powerful impact on you?
I remember a service user who seemed very vulnerable and needed someone to talk to but they had never used a mental health service like MindOut before. After exchanging several messages, they panicked and almost exited the chat. I did my best to calm the service user and reassured them that they had come to the right place. We continued to chat and gradually they were able to open up about everything they were going through and how they were feeling. In fact, I was the only person they had confided to about their circumstances. By the end of our chat, they felt empowered enough to register for counselling sessions which is something they had never done before. This service user thanked me telling me, “you’re the best, you truly have helped me today”, which was lovely to hear. Whilst it has been several months since I spoke to this person, this conversation and how grateful they were is something I still remember to this day.
Whilst volunteering for the online support service, sometimes we see regular service users engaging with MindOut. It can be quite a rewarding experience seeing the progress these service users make as we have been there from the beginning of their mental health journey. One PoC service user who regularly engaged with us even told
me, “you have changed my life somewhat”, which was very moving. It was a heartwarming experience knowing I was able to be there for a PoC lesbian like myself and offer an intersectional understanding to their experiences.
How does being part of MindOut impact you / your life / your day?
When I am not volunteering for MindOut, I work for another LGBTQ+ organisation that supports PoC service users. Both roles often overlap and allow me to develop and transfer new skills to better myself. In particular, my experience at MindOut has enabled me to have a deeper understanding of the mental health needs of LGBTQ+ people. This has been something I have been able to incorporate in my paid role and
I have also been able to signpost the PoC service users I work with directly to MindOut. In my personal life, my role at MindOut has helped me approach conversations with family and friends who want to talk about their mental health. I believe I now have a better understanding on how to navigate conversations involving mental health and what people really need to help them feel supported.
Name: Aaliyah
Age: 24
Sexuality: Lesbian
Gender Identity: Female
Pronouns: She/Her
Quotes from PoC service users
“You made my day” – poc gay man
“You have changed my life somewhat” – poc lesbian
“I feel really close to talk about everything with you even in a short time. You really helped by listening more than you know” – poc trans woman
“Thank you for today again, for listening to me, hearing me out and understanding everything I shared with you. I don’t know how to thank you enough for all the things you have done” – poc trans woman