We recently held an evening with our alumni, learning about how Nightline has impacted their lives, what they’ve gone on to do, and what current volunteers can learn from our alumni.
We were joined by Matt, an alumnus from Essex Nightline, Aashna, a Loughborough Nightline alumna, and Gillian, an alumna from Durham Nightline.
Each of our speakers shared what they’ve gone on to do with skills they developed at Nightline, including working in data and strategy, teacher training and events management.
Many memories were shared, and it was wonderful to hear that across each of our three Nightlines of the evening, the sense of community was the overarching theme. Each of our alumni shared that it was Nightline that helped them feel at home, and that many of their friends are from their Nightline days. Spending 10-12 hours with different volunteers certainly helped you get to know one another and make new friends!
When the nights were quieter, or between phone calls, Essex Nightline created a ‘Nightline game’ with the idea of knocking down wooden blocks in a tower by throwing items at them..! While this didn’t feel revolutionary, in the middle of the night when volunteers are wide awake, all sorts of games and ideas were exciting.
Key takeaways from the event were around emphasising the interpersonal skills, the active listening skills and the people management you gain at Nightline, particularly with committee roles. Nightline can also provide a great talking point at interviews, and provide you with examples for a variety of example challenges you might have had to manage.
The friends you make at University in Nightline are amazing friends and connections to have for life. You will always have that shared experience that is so special.
If you would like to be part of our alumni community, sign up to our newsletter here, and do get in touch if you’d like to share your story, or get involved.