Nightline Listening Volunteers provided over 400 hours of out of hours listening support to students across the UK in the 2020-21 academic year, annual figures show.
The Nightline Association Caller Statistics Report 2020-21 was launched ahead of Nightline Awareness Week (NLAW), which takes place from Monday 7 November to Sunday 13 November 2022.
Simon Pickles, Head of Engagement and Communications for the Nightline Association, said:
“The latest data shows the huge impact COVID-19 had on student life and the resilience of Nightline Services to continue to deliver emotional support to students in one of the most challenging years for Nightline in its 52 year history.
Despite these challenges, all the Nightlines across the country went above and beyond to support their student communities and to ensure that listening support was available to those who needed it the most. It’s the dedication and passion of our listening volunteers that meant Nightline Services were able to remain open, on average, for two thirds of the academic year.
The pandemic had a profound impact on student life, from the way students learn, socialise and access resources to the challenges and hardships they face. The data and insights in this report shows that Nightline Services have adapted to support the new challenges of student life and continue to deliver against our core vision as a charity.”
The key highlights from 2020-21 shows the huge impact Nightlines have on the student communities they serve:
- 9352 calls were responded to in 2020-21
- Nightlines answered 53 calls per night
- The most common issues faced by students were stress and anxiety, coming up in 10.9% of calls
- The majority of calls taken by Nightline volunteers were by Instant Messenger – the first time IM has overtaken Phone calls.
Matthew Axbey, Acting Chair of Trustees for the Nightline Association, gave thanks to all those who have volunteered their time and looks ahead to the future of the charity and the Nightline Movement:
“Like all organisations, we were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. I am incredibly proud of the work that our volunteers, staff and partners did in that time to continue supporting students, and are continuing to do now as our affiliated Nightline services continue to rebuild. We have ambitious plans for our future and hope that this coming year will be truly transformational for our charity and the wider Nightline movement.”
Read the Full Nightline Association Caller Statistics Report 2020-21
