Answering the call, the Samaritans save lives in Italy

 ROME- I was struggling midway through a half-marathon the other day, when a young woman tapped me on the shoulder. “I have been trying to catch you. I wanted to say thanks. You guys really helped me out last Christmas when I called, I was really in a bad place.”

 I remembered that I had promised a friend to wear a Samaritans shirt to raise awareness for the organization. I thanked her. She had made my race. As she ran off, I began to gain a better understanding of the organization. 

 The Samaritans is a secular volunteer organization that was founded in Britain in 1953. It has been active in Italy since 1980. Through the international network Befrienders Worldwide it operates in 40 countries including China and Singapore.

 It all began with the Reverend Chad Varah, a Church of England vicar in the Diocese of London. Earlier in his career he lost a parishioner, a 14-year-old girl who killed herself. He then placed an ad in the newspaper encouraging people to volunteer at his church so they could listen to those considering suicide.

 “Samaritans is a charity that prevents suicide through the power of human connection,” according to the non-profit organization. It connects people in crisis with trained volunteers.

 These are some of the key concepts the volunteers use on the phone. I had a chance to speak with two of them--one who has been with the organization for five years and another for two years. One shared, “The best antidote to suicide is talking about suicide”.

 The other volunteer said, “A common phrase they hear is ‘this is the first time I have spoken to anyone about my suicidal thoughts.’ This is after paying for years of therapy and having a loving family.” He continued, “the fact that we are anonymous is really important.”

 “Ideally, we would lead them to their own solutions. We are not here to give suggestions,” said one volunteer. “It might be the first time in their life that that has happened.” He said that besides suicide, they also speak to callers with self-harming tendencies, anorexia and other concerns.

 Over the years the volunteers have noticed some troubling trends, namely that younger people are calling. The callers can be as young as 12 to 14 years old, with one caller being as young as 10.

 Another young caller didn’t feel he could speak to his family. He was afraid that since they were watching the news on the war every night, the conflict would eventually land in Italy and kill his family. This was causing him to have suicidal thoughts.

 The Samaritans host training sessions once or twice a year. Every program is broken up into two parts. The first is a classroom setting focused on learning active listening, through exercises, simulations, and group feedback over three sessions.

 The second is a mentor program, completed in 10 sessions that offer direct experience on the telephone with the support of specially trained volunteer tutors. 

 The volunteers operate the phones in Italy every day from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.. They usually take one three-hour shift a week and check in with a local manager after the shift. This is a wellness check for the volunteers and a way to pass on any helpful information for the next volunteer.

 “After a shift I am so grateful for my life and everything that I have,” shared one volunteer. They also said, “it’s a very positive feeling, the idea that I have helped even one person.”

 After my conversation with the volunteers, I was inspired by the self-sacrifice they display each week--volunteering their time to help strangers they have never met and will never meet, just to be helpful and even at times, help save a life.

 If you are having suicidal thoughts or would like to speak to someone autonomously at the Samaritans, please call 06 77208977 between the hours of 1 p.m. and 10 p.m..  If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or making a donation, please contact the Samaritans here or at samaritansonlus@gmail.com.

mlp