Become a volunteer

Volunteering with Concordia Students’ Nightline offers a unique opportunity to develop your active listening skills. This opportunity offers clinical experience and the chance to be part of a supportive team making a meaningful impact.

What this opportunity offers

Support your peers

Be a source of support for the Concordia and Montreal communities, no matter their identity or experiences!

Gain clinical experience

Clinical experience is hard to find in undergrad, but look no further! Our active listening training and hours on the lines will boost your Masters applications.

Be part of a team

Become part of a growing, diverse group of students sharing a common goal of understanding, care, and support. Build new friendships and connections!

Become a better listener

Active listening is a crucial skill beyond our lines. You'll find yourself listening with more attention and care in all your interactions!

What is the process?

Recruitment

We actively recruit new volunteers biannually, aligning with the academic calendar – at the start of the Fall and again in the Winter semester. This schedule ensures a steady influx of fresh perspectives and dedicated volunteers each term.

Selection & Training

Prospective volunteers begin with a phone interview, followed by a Zoom interview. Selected volunteers then progress to training. Our comprehensive, in-person training is both evaluative and in-depth, ensuring volunteers are well-prepared to join our team.

Volunteering

Volunteers are expected to take 2 in-person shifts a month, each around 5 hours long, and attend a monthly General Meeting (1 hour long). Volunteers remain anonymous to all except other members of the volunteer corps.

After your contribution

Although past members are welcome to include their experience on a CV or resume, they are still expected to uphold the confidentiality of other volunteers and maintain the organization’s anonymity at all times. Have other questions? Contact us!

Past Volunteer Testimonials

  • "Nightline has really taught me that community and building connections are everything. It's expanded my horizons on what can be accomplished and the power of collectivity."


  • "Listening matters! It seems so simple and so easy but it's quite complex and can be incredibly valuable to people."

  • "I believe that having a space where people will actively listen to you talk about anything and support you in that is really special and valuable."

  • "The Nightline's capacity to offer pure active listening where the person listening is truly emphasizing with you is what makes it so unique...I really appreciate the experience and everything I learned while there."

  • “Since the Nightline is still in its early stages, there is so much more room for growth and I want every volunteer to feel some sort of ownership over the organization, to have them feel like it's theirs and that they want to take care of it and do their best for our callers."

  • "I think everyone who joins — all the trainers and volunteers — are so tender-hearted and authentically caring, which creates this unique entity that's completely different than any other."

  • "It can be hard, I think, for people to ask others to listen to them, to feel that they deserve the space to be heard without necessarily being charming or interesting or receiving advice. It's hard to ask for space, and at Nightline we provide that."

  • "It was once I began volunteering here that I realized how rare it is to have people truly listen to you — through no fault of their own, everyone is somewhat wrapped up in their own lives, and during conversations people often are just thinking of their next response instead of truly listening to you."