Having volunteers from our communities is a core part of our organisation. We’ve seen a huge amount of interest in volunteer trainings recently, which is always appreciated. If you are making an application, please know there will currently be a delay of several months until you’ll be contacted about a potential training but, we’d still love to have you apply.

What Does Volunteering Involve?

At OutLine we run a rainbow peer support line which is available at 0800 OUTLINE, and a webchat support service, available at outline.org.nz, between 6pm-9pm every evening. We invite people across Aotearoa to call us to speak to a trained volunteer from the rainbow community, who can offer peer support and help talk things through.

We’re looking for volunteers who can commit to at least one 3-hour shift per month as a call taker for our support line, and who can commit to attending a monthly upskilling/clinical supervision forum either in person or via Zoom. You can volunteer remotely from anywhere in Aotearoa.

Volunteering for OutLine involves a few key things:

  • Being a Rainbow/LGBTIQ+ person who is confident in discussing their lived experiences as a rainbow person
  • Answering phones, returning calls and providing information over the phone
  • Doing a monthly shift and attending regular supervision forums
  • Going through a training course over six days
  • Recording notes on each call

What Happens When You Apply?

1. Our Volunteer Coordinator will do an initial review and reach out to clarify anything if needed
2. If you are eligible, the volunteer coordinator will approve your application and you’ll be sent a notification of this
3. Your application is now safely held in our system
4. When training offers become available, the volunteer coordinator will reach out to organise an interview (the time this takes can fluctuate depending on application volumes)
5. You’ll have an interview with our Volunteer Coordinator to learn a bit about your skills and expectations and give you an opportunity to ask any questions about the volunteer role
6. We’ll confirm your place in an upcoming training
7. You’ll complete the OutLine volunteer training (occurs across six days, with a listening assessment on the final day)
8. You’ll complete some paperwork including a required background check

9. You’ll begin mentored shifts as an OutLine volunteer!”

What Does Training Involve?

Volunteers must complete an in person interview and our training course (currently across four days and two evenings), which is provided free of charge to new volunteers.

Volunteers are trained over the course of two weekends to support callers with gender identity, sexual orientation, diverse sex characteristics, and issues that affect rainbow communities and their friends and whānau. Some of the topics people call to talk about include family relationships, loneliness and isolation, sexuality and gender identity, sexual health, navigating gender-affirming healthcare and meeting people.

We now offer some trainings in person in Tāmaki Makaurau and some virtually for people anywhere in Aotearoa, which may also impact how long it is until you receive a suitable training offer.

After the course, volunteers are buddied with one of our senior volunteers, so you can build on the learning as you work to make a difference to our callers.

How to Apply

OutLine follows best practice to keep you and our callers safe. If you have any questions at all about volunteering for OutLine contact [email protected]

OutLine believes that everyone has a role to play in making safer communities for people of all genders, all sexual orientations and all sex identities – including cis-gender straight people. If you do not identify with the LGBTI+ communities but want to help OutLine’s work, don’t hesitate to get in touch for other volunteering opportunities outside of the support-lines.

Click here to download the volunteer role description

Click here to submit your volunteer application

We require our volunteer applicants provide a reference to support their application. The form to send to your reference can be found here.