������̳

Patrick Skehan at the premises of the Nightline association  

Background
It was during my law studies at Trinity in Dublin a few years ago that I became a volunteer in an online listening service association, an Irish "nightline." This type of association has been well developed in Ireland and Great Britain since the 1960s (note: there about 40 online listening services there at present). Five years ago, I chose to go in France with Erasmus. I realized on arrival that there was no similar service. Although this French "nightline" was not developed right away, I left for Ireland after studying at Sciences Po in 2014, with this project in mind.

The turning point
Returning to Paris in September 2016 as a foreign boarder at , I was struck by the lack of services related to psychological support for students…unlike in Ireland. Only 8% of the students here know the (Office of Psychological Help University), and once they make contact with the organization, they must often wait several months for an appointment (which is a big problem!). How can someone be efficiently helped and effectively guided with so much waiting time? My project of a nightline in France has become more relevant now than ever. Since PSL has good visibility from the ENS, I quickly became aware of the call for student initiatives. It was obvious at that time that there was an opportunity to concretely embark on the adventure.

The opportunity to speak directly with peers is rather original in France, it can really unlock possible blockages

The initial goal of Nightline PSL: to create a network and promote the service
I applied last year and we obtained from PSL funding and support that allowed us to have the necessary materials and train the first volunteers.
Without any premises at start-up, we took the opportunity to create partnerships, meet people who could help us in our project and improve our network: the psychiatrist of the ENS, the staff of the l’ and the la ... We also created strong links with , who asked me to participate with them in the festival Solidays last July.

This year, we are grateful to PSL for allowing us to open the doors last November: every evening, from 9pm to 2:30am (except Tuesdays and Wednesdays), two to three volunteers take shifts. The launch of Nightline was welcomed: posters were well placed in many washrooms of schools and institutes, in order to catch people’s attention. The guaranteed anonymity is important to our callers, and the opportunity to speak directly with peers is rather original in France, it can really unlock possible blockages.

Anyone can be a volunteer: we contribute together
Volunteers come from the entire PSL community: ENS-PSL, , , , ... Which means that some evenings, we can meet with a student in chemistry, another in philosophy and a third in theater and exchange around common issues. And one of the goals of the association is precisely the cross-institutions communication.

In total, we have 30 volunteers that take turns (note: Patrick coordinates the shifts, but he does not take calls). The main volunteer tasks, apart from making calls and listening, are creating community, and allowing exchange during breaks. Also, no one performs a shift alone. The goal is to be together: not only to help those who call us, but also to create connections between us so that we can better serve others.

We also have a monthly meeting together with a psychiatrist or a psychologist to discuss the received calls, which are sometimes difficult to manage by ourselves. This is an opportunity to express our emotions with a professional on our side. After each meeting, we all go out for a drink, always with the aim of creating community.

The principles of Nightline
We have four main principles in the association: we guarantee anonymity, confidentiality, we do not judge people and we are not directive. We are focused on the person calling us. And be careful! The volunteers are not there to provide diagnoses or give advice. We do not position ourselves as experts with psychology or psychiatry skills: not at all. Sometimes there is confusion in this aspect of the role. Above all, we are an online listening service.

Our motto
"There are no small problems!” Whatever the subject, we do not prioritize calls. Each person has their emotions, their own experiences, and if they wants to talk about it, we are there. People can call us for any reason. Sometimes, the caller just needs to discuss a problem that doesn’t necessarily require a session with a shrink, but it is a problem that is difficult to discuss with friends. The service can be a solution to talk about it, simply.

The three qualities to become a volunteer

• 1. Know how to listen, of course! The volunteer is an attentive ear AND an informant. It is the link, for example, between the person calling and a psychologist. But a volunteer, most importantly, is an attentive ear, because a student can call any time, on any subject, and there are no subjects that are too small or unimportant. It can be, for example, a situation where someone comes home late at night and wants to have someone to talk to during their journey. Sometimes the callers have trouble expressing themselves or, finally, their call does not seem so useful, yet we always are there to listen. We are absolutely ok with that. There is no problem with being called several times if needed too. Often, it is all about expressing, putting words out loud, about questions, thoughts, and problems encountered.
• 2. A life that has been full of different experiences. For example, as a former Irish student landing in France, I can fully understand the questions and perspective of a foreign student who has just arrived in France. But it is above all, not a question of speaking about our experience as a volunteer then projecting our experience on the caller. Simply, this background that we each have in ourselves helps us to have a better understanding of the problem and to refer the person to the best possible options, and to professionals.
• 3. The motivation to join a group, a collective: it is extremely important to socialize because we are a student association; we need to feel well together in order to better help others.

"There are no small problems!” Whatever the subject, we do not prioritize calls

Our next goals
A first objective for Nightline: train volunteers for two full weekends with professional mediators, to be more efficient on the line. Then we will try to open more nights a month and expand the network beyond PSL.

We also want, at some point, to open an anglophone line: we must recruit students who are extremely comfortable (almost bilingual) in English. This is an important issue: there may be a need, I think, for supporting international students. We will explore this track if we manage to have more funding.

Personal goals
I would like to spend at least another two years on the project in Paris: I am a teacher in English part time, and the remaining time, I devote myself to Nightline. The challenge is to be able, before leaving, to open an English service that works well, and expanded to other institutions.

In ten years, I would like Nightline to still exist, and I hope to continue to meet the new volunteers. This will be a sign that the association is rolling, evolving, and that there is continuity.