Volunteer Day: ‘Your loyalty to listening is what makes our Wrens feel safe’
Coming together for a day centred around active listening, shared experience and role play, Kate Middleton, CEO of the Wren Project, championed the volunteers’ dedication to making individuals “feel safe.”
”You listen to people who feel ignored and silenced most of the time,” Kate told the group.
”You make no assumptions of how people are meant to feel. I think your loyalty to listening is what makes speaking to a Wren Project volunteer feel safe,” she explained.
”By doing these two things: by listening and turning up, I think we can make our Wrens feel more human.”
She continued: “This community of 6 million people, which I am a part of, is a bit damaged and bit broken. But by showing up and really listening, you make people feel more human again and that is powerful.”
Volunteers, who joined us in central London from across the UK, then explored the question of ‘how are you?’ in a thoughtful activity devised by Laura Rees, of the How Are You Project.
Our volunteers, who speak to individuals living with the complexities of autoimmune diseases via phone of video call, were then giving the opportunity to hear directly from Wrens in a panel discussion.
Sharing their individual experiences of the route to diagnosis and the unpredictability of living with an incurable disease, Wrens talked about the impact listening sessions had on their mental health.
Volunteers also reflected on their training to become Listening Volunteers and their ongoing work in sessions. They were then encouraged to share their experience of the Project on a display board.
”The Wren Project has enabled me to develop my listening skills,” wrote one. “I am so much more a better version of myself.”
”It’s been amazing really,” said another. “The training was so supportive and it feels like there is so much space for everyone.”
Our next Volunteer Day will run later in the year, with all of volunteers invited to join us.
If you would like to train to become a Listening Volunteer for the Wren Project and support people in distress with autoimmune disease, we would love to hear from you.
