Conflict and Change has been working with members of the Tamil community in Newham for a few years, and recently they asked us to help them set up a service to enable members of the community to talk with another Tamil person about any issues or problems.
Seven people initially agreed to be part of this “Tamil Listening Service”, and we arranged some training for them in listening and communication skills. We then worked with them to draw up some guidelines about how to respond to cases, given that the service is not offering formal counselling or mediation.
Since the service has no fixed office phone number, they decided to use a mobile phone that could be passed around between the volunteer listeners. One of the members was able to provide the service with two mobiles, enabling them to offer users the choice of a male or a female listener.
They also arranged for the service to be featured on NuSound Radio (92 FM), a local community radio station, and it was following this that the service received its first call!
There is now a leaflet in English about the service, and this is currently being translated into Tamil ready for wider distribution.
In the meantime there is growing interest in the service, and we are looking forward to seeing it develop!
