📆 This Week's Schedule w/c 19.05

Leyla · May 19

Hi hey hello gang!

Here is this week's schedule for what Group Chats and Support Threads we should be able to run this week. We'll aim to post these schedules every Monday whilst we're experiencing some chat closures.

Disclaimer: These are also subject to change based on mod and supervisor availability. If we make any changes, this post will be updated ASAP.

Note: To access our chats please head here, and to access our threads they happen right here on the boards!

Monday: Body Doubling Chat (5.00pm-6.30pm)
Tuesday: General Chat and Support Circle
Wednesday: No chats
Thursday: General Chat
Friday: Afternoon General Chat (1.30pm-3pm)
Saturday: Body Doubling Chat (11am-12.30pm) and Support Topic Thread on Finding Hobbies you Love (3.30pm-5.00pm)
Sunday: Support Chat

shannon_164 · May 19

aw is there no support thread on sunday:( ?

Redemption · May 19

Not bad scedule, good topic for Saturday thread again too.

Leyla · May 20

Hihi! There's been a change for this week, please check the main post!

shannon_164 · May 20

shannon_164 wrote: »

aw is there no support thread on sunday:( ?

?? - clearly this reply has very much so been seen since the original post has been updated…

Leyla · May 20

@shannon_164 Hi Shannon, I'm sorry about that. I wanted to double check before giving you all a set answer so it didn't get any hopes up but unfortunately there won't be a way to run the support thread on Sunday

shannon_164 · May 20

thanks @Leyla - i don’t mean to me cheeky or nothing here, i promise that’s not my intentions but it would have been nice to even at least acknowledge my question?

super sad about no support thread on sunday, they’re probably the most helpful thing for me at this point and especially with the lack of support chats too as let’s be real, come the days support chat is scheduled to be on it will then be changed to general chat or no chat. the topic threads aren’t that helpful either in my personal opinion as i hate being ‘forced’ to discuss a specific topic as opposed to what im really struggling with in reality? maybe topic threads would be good alongside actual support chats / threads running when they should but whenever support threads / chats are as limited as what they are, maybe allowing for just a general support thread instead to make up for lack of support chats too / threads in a way would be more helpful atm?

independent_ · May 20

Does that mean no one is working on Sunday? Bc usually if someone was it would be on

Leyla · May 20

@shannon_164 That's completely understandable and I really am sorry, I definitely should have said something and that's on me. it doesn't sound cheeky or anything like that, thank you for bringing it up!

I hear your concerns there and you've raised some good points, I'll bring it to the team tomorrow and see if there's anything we can change around or tweak so there is more support at the moment. Hopefully we will know more in the coming days!

Leyla · May 20

@independent_ Hiya! There is someone working on Sunday but quite a few people are off, so we decided that to run Sunday Support Threads it usually works better with two moderators/staff members

independent_ · May 20

@Leyla thank you - interesting to know.

I’ve raised a similar question in PM, but I’ve been wondering about if there’s any way to run more support sessions - support circle, imo, should always be prioritised as people have signed up for that. But it’s a question of how long will this go on and if there are any real solutions that could be used to run more evening SCs in particular.

Leyla · May 21

Hi all, we are really sorry but there has been another change to chat tonight. We do hear all of the concerns being raised and I am writing a reply to what @independent_ has asked here too, but wanted to get the update out as quickly as possible so you all could know as much in advance as we could give you

@shannon_164 For your point, it is still being discussed amongst the team as some people are currently away, but it is definitely a good concern to bring and thank you for raising it and your suggestions

Redemption · May 21

No chats tonight, are you serious?!

independent_ · May 21

In the interest of clarity, i was wondering if this is down to mod cancellations or a supervisor not being available? It is just interesting that we’ve gone from an SC (which usually have 3 mods) to no chat at all. So have all 3 mods cancelled, or is it a supervisor that’s unavailable, or something else?

Leyla · May 21

@independent_ Hi! In terms of the message before (not your most recent one as I need to check about that) and about the amount of moderators needed for spaces. We are reviewing our current staffing levels and how many mods we need to continue to keep our spaces safe. There are several factors to consider when making these decisions, but meanwhile we are still recruiting and training up new moderators to maximise the number of chats we are able to. In the meantime we will continue to do all we can to prioritise running as many chats as possible!

Redemption · May 21

I was sat here waiting patiently for the chat

TheMix · May 21

Hello! Really sorry about having to cancel chats tonight. There's a shortage of board mods, i can't speak for them all personally but in my experience it's a busy time of year for young people who may have studies/exams etc.

We're doing all we can to be able to run a support chat on Sunday, where we're also potentially short, and will keep you updated.

Owen

Redemption · May 21

TheMix wrote: »

Hello! Really sorry about having to cancel chats tonight. There's a shortage of board mods, i can't speak for them all personally but in my experience it's a busy time of year for young people who may have studies/exams etc.

We're doing all we can to be able to run a support chat on Sunday, where we're also potentially short, and will keep you updated.

Owen

Not trying to be rude but there needs to be less excuses and more reliability mate. Maybe if previous mods were treated better we'd have more still here and better reliability. These meetings seem to be doing absolutely nothing atm.

Rose113 · May 21

@Redemption alot of mods have shifts at work or exams, we have to remember they do have a life of there own and aren’t bound to us, there are other places to reach out to as well

Shout
Samaritans
Boards
Calm
Kellysheroes
111

I am also available in here if you or anyone else wants support 💕

Redemption · May 21

Rose113 wrote: »

@Redemption alot of mods have shifts at work or exams, we have to remember they do have a life of there own and aren’t bound to us, there are other places to reach out to as well

Shout
Samaritans
Boards
Calm
Kellysheroes
111

I am also available in here if you or anyone else wants support 💕

I agree like things come up etc and thanks but it's still not good enough. Seems convenient that multiple mods are all busy. It's supposed to be, becoming more reliable but becoming less. Maybe if former mods was treated better they'd be cover for mods working or exams or whatever. Gone from support chat to general to nothing, that's happening multiple times and support getting changed to general all the time. People including me needs support.

shannon_164 · May 21

i totally understand that many of the mods are in education themselves, as well as working, and this is a super busy time of year for them but it’s also unfair on us if they’re agreeing to a shift then deciding on the day they can’t do it? if it’s a one off cancellation that’s last minute for a genuine reason, not at all an issue, life happens at the end of the day but if it’s purely because they have commitments in terms of education, i’m not being funny but you know what is expected / when deadlines are / when exams are etc by this time of the year therefore are aware of availability etc.

one thing that is really important when it comes to mental health / support is consistency, something that seems to be impossible for the mix to implement!!! it’s been a longggg time since there has been consistent chats, and this is some people’s ONLY support.

i get life happens, there’s stuff you can’t plan for and that is ok, but being in education is not a valid excuse to be cancelling chats as im sorry but you should not take on a role you know you cannot commit to fully as it’s unfair on the service users, alternatively, as a mod in education knowing what the expectations are in your voluntary role & education, maybe take a temporary break until you can be consistent?

i volunteered in a primary school, once it got to christmas time and i was going to be starting with a new group of children after christmas, i thought logically about commitments with work & college and made the decision to not volunteer after christmas as i knew i couldn’t commit to every week and that would be unfair on the children. it’s not difficult to think about those who are going to be impacted by your actions.

i apologise if this comes across as cheeky etc as that is not at all what i mean, i, like many of us are, very understandably frustrated.

shannon_164 · May 21

TheMix wrote: »

Hello! Really sorry about having to cancel chats tonight. There's a shortage of board mods, i can't speak for them all personally but in my experience it's a busy time of year for young people who may have studies/exams etc.

We're doing all we can to be able to run a support chat on Sunday, where we're also potentially short, and will keep you updated.

Owen

lol so that’s basically saying on sunday, if we’re lucky we’ll get general chat then leaving the only support this week as support circle and the saturday thread - support circle excludes several members as its purpose is to be a smaller group (not complaining about the fact it’s a smaller group btw) and saturday thread also excludes members too due it being topic threads therefore the topic may not be relevant. there is no general support at all this week that is inclusive of all members. fab!!

Redemption · May 21

It's just cancellations after cancellations and excuses all the time.

independent_ · May 21

I think the point raised by @shannon_164 is a very good one. It’s about what people can commit to. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, if any mod is feeling they’re unable to do a chat they absolutely shouldn’t feel under pressure to do it. But if that commitment is there, then it does raise questions about who’s cancelling, how often, and why. It could also be that the support offered to volunteers has changed (I understand mods are no longer allowed to communicate with each other). It used to be that mods could swap shifts, and chats ran much more reliably back then because they could help each other out. I think this has an impact too because now if mods aren’t allowed to communicate outside of their mod/supervisor chat, then that will mean they have less support. I know in my voluntary role the support from the other volunteers is really important.

We have always had issues with chat cancellations at this time of year, but I can tell you for absolute certain it has never been on this scale before, which is why I think people are feeling frustrated - and like someone said above, it’s some people’s only support.

Rose113 · May 21

We don’t know what goes on in mod or staff lives, anything could happen, life isn’t very predictable

independent_ · May 21

@Rose113 you are absolutely right. Life happens, things come up, and I think we do all need to understand and respect that. Plus, if a mod isn’t in the right headspace to do a chat, then it’s not good for their own wellbeing for them to be doing that chat.

I think the issue here is that it is happening so often, and it’s arguably really frustrating for people on the other side of that coin as well. And I think it is worth checking in with individual mods if they’re cancelling a lot to make sure it’s still right for them - after all, it’s voluntary, it should be rewarding for them too.

shannon_164 · May 21

Rose113 wrote: »

We don’t know what goes on in mod or staff lives, anything could happen, life isn’t very predictable

and that is very very true, of course!! if it’s one of cancellations because something’s happened, no one would have an issue with that as life happens but that isn’t what the reality is, when was the last time the mix had a consistent chat schedule? months ago now!!

if you cannot commit to a role, don’t take it up. it’s simple. think about those that are going to be impacted because of your actions, it’s genuinely not difficult, i have had to do that before when volunteering in a primary school, because is it fair on the children if i cancel last minute each week? of course not, so i chose to take a break from volunteering there.

we are all understanding enough people here and wouldn’t at all have an issue with a one of cancellation every now and then, no one is making an issue out of genuine reasons because life happens, it’s the constant cancellations for things that are expected (as in education for example).

Rose113 · May 21

@independent_ yeah the mods probably only relate to us due to there experience with mental health and I agree checking in with mod welfare is good but also they might already do that

Redemption · May 21

It's just the short notice too though like things come and there's a shortage of mods to cover, we have to think why, because loads of mods have been pushed out. Some have left due to their own private reasons but some due to the merger. We keep having these meetings but they just seem useless, things are getting worse and more unreliable nevermind better.

independent_ · May 21

Yeah, many mods will have experienced a lot of the same things as us - that’s probably what drew them into the role in the first place.

I don’t think anyone here is right or wrong, because after all it’s a service that has changed so dramatically in the past few months. It’s really important that we have a space where we can share how we all feel about it while understanding that everyone’s human, things happen. But I definitely agree that things which are expected shouldn’t be leading to last minute cancellations. If someone say has an exam tomorrow, they would know about that and be able to work out their schedule. I think that’s what we’re trying to say, rather than it’s never ok for mods to cancel because of course, sometimes it is necessary.

Redemption · May 21

independent_ wrote: »

Yeah, many mods will have experienced a lot of the same things as us - that’s probably what drew them into the role in the first place.

I don’t think anyone here is right or wrong, because after all it’s a service that has changed so dramatically in the past few months. It’s really important that we have a space where we can share how we all feel about it while understanding that everyone’s human, things happen. But I definitely agree that things which are expected shouldn’t be leading to last minute cancellations. If someone say has an exam tomorrow, they would know about that and be able to work out their schedule. I think that’s what we’re trying to say, rather than it’s never ok for mods to cancel because of course, sometimes it is necessary.

I agree like exams are planned with a time table so when the schedule was posted the exams would have been known about but then just a few hours before chats get cancelled. I know it's not just exams it can be lots of other stuff like shifts other stuff in life can just come up last minute but still the unreliability is getting ridiculous, it's literally all the time. Like the odd cancellation ok but it's far from the odd one. It's extremely fustrating.

📆 This Week's Schedule w/c 19.05

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