The Students’ Union at UWE and UWE Bristol, in partnership with Crisis Text Line, have launched a new crisis support text line for students.

24/7 Crisis Textline offers crisis support to UWE Bristol students across the UK. If in distress, UWE Bristol students can text ‘UWE’ to 85258. All texts are answered by trained volunteers, with support from experienced clinical supervisors.

Mathew, a Student and Volunteer Crisis Counsellor with Shout, which helps to run the 24/7 Crisis Textline, talks more about what it is like to volunteer for the organisation. 

Mathew commented: “I first heard about the opportunity to volunteer with Shout through an email that was sent out by my department (Psychology) at UCL. I had been looking to volunteer and had already applied to some other organisations. However, I was particularly attracted to Shout since I wanted to volunteer with the youth and being a university student myself, I know I'd feel a lot more comfortable texting someone for support rather than calling them."

“I quickly completed the application form, provided references and then commenced the six-week training. The training was fantastic, really well structured, to the point and it helped build all the skills I use while volunteering on the platform. I was assigned a coach who provided feedback on my progress throughout the stages of the training and helped to build my confidence in handling real texters."

“Balancing volunteering around uni, part-time work and other commitments, I usually volunteer Sunday nights between 22:00 and midnight. I find that counselling after a bad day usually helps to put my problems into perspective. Some of my most rewarding moments on the platform involve reserved texters slowly opening up after building trust with them and getting thanked by texters for being there for them at a time when no one else was."

“The essential skills for crisis counselling include building rapport, keeping calm under pressure and collaboratively problem solving, which are very useful in any field and look great on a CV.”

Find out more about volunteering here