My name is Vicky Chen. I work for CPC, Chinese Peer Community, for about 10 years. My role is to provide a telephone service to the problem gamblers, or their family members, or friends.

What does being a Peer Support Worker involve?

My day to day is just giving my client a call, provide the peer support to them. When you know you can help others, it really makes you feel good. They have a problem but they have no one to talk to or maybe they feel shame if they tell others that one of their family members is a gambler.

What do you learn from volunteering?

Everyone before they do this role, they need to take the six weeks training. And we have the ongoing training, I say every half a year. They more look for someone, it's care, happy to listen, happy to help others. Yeah. Different kind of training really make me learn a lot from it. It's improving my knowledge and the counselling skill.

How do you find time to volunteer?

This working hour is very flexible. If you want to work in the afternoon, work in the morning or okay, you can talk to your supervisor to arrange the time, make sure it's suitable for you. And normally, I work every week day. I work from nine to five. And currently, I give the phone service, it's every Tuesday night after work. If you don't have the laptop, do not have mobile, you always can go to the office to make the phone call. And you can use their computer and to do the work. But if you have already got all this equipment at home, then you can work from home.

What do you get out of volunteering?

I think helping people make me feel happy. After my phone conversation, normally I can feel the customer feel more happy, more relaxed. Sometimes it's encouragement or provide them the further information. One of my client, I talk to her for five years, so I can feel I become a friend. She tell me everything. It's not only about her husband, it's quite possible it's about her daughter, her sister, her mom, and every little things in her daily life, she's happy to share with me. Helping others make me feel happy. Learning a lot of new knowledge, make me feel happy. And making friends make me feel happy.

The volunteer role always have different kind of opportunity. When I look for this role, I just jump online and get this role from the Boroondara Volunteer Resource Centre. And I can see, have heaps of volunteer opportunity there. Team is a very friendly team. I will say, "Do it," and then you will feel the happy.