A graphic with a vintage rotary phone icon and a speech bubble that reads: 'Help someone feel heard without judgment or unsolicited advice.'
A blue background with a black hotline phone icon and a speech bubble that says, "Provide a confidential space where someone can talk openly."
Yellow background with a black vintage telephone icon and white speech bubble containing text about building friendships with like-minded, compassionate volunteers.
A speech bubble with a vintage telephone icon and the motivational message: 'Share the moment with someone who feels proud of their accomplishments.'
A blue background with a black vintage telephone icon and a white speech bubble containing the text: 'Develop clinical experience to strengthen your resume or grad school application.'

Become a volunteer

Volunteering with Concordia Students’ Nightline* offers a unique opportunity to develop your active listening skills. This opportunity offers clinical experience and the chance to be part of a supportive team making a meaningful impact.

*Please note that intake for volunteers occurs on a biannual basis. The deadline for applications to volunteer in the Fall semester is July 10th, while the Winter semester application deadline is November 30th. If you apply after these dates, we will reach out about your involvement with Concordia Student’s Nightline for the following semester.

What is the application process like?

  • We actively recruit new volunteers in two cohorts over the academic year. Contact us before:

    1. July 10th for the fall cohort.

    2. November 30th for the winter cohort.

Illustration of a human head with yellow lightning bolts representing pain or headache on a dark blue background.

  • After the thorough review of the application, selected candidates are invited to participate in a two-part interview process. The first interview is held over the phone, and followed by a virtual interview over Zoom.

A vintage rotary dial telephone in blue, depicted in a halftone style on a dark background.

  • Selected volunteers proceed to attend our comprehensive in-person trainings. Trainings take place before the beginning of each semester. These trainings are:

    • In-depth, to cover a wide range of situations and available resources.

    • Collaborative, with senior members providing support and guidance.

    • Evaluative, to ensure that volunteers are well-prepared to join our team.

Two hands passing a vintage telephone handset against a dark blue background.
Apply now

What does a volunteer do?

As a volunteer,

Two in-person shifts are completed every month. We ask that volunteers ensure that at least one of these is during the night. A typical shift is around 5 hours long.

Additionally, volunteers are expected to attend our monthly General Meeting. Concordia’s Student Nightline is an anonymous and confidential service, and we ask all volunteers to refrain from discussing their role with anyone external to our organization.

After your contribution,

Although past members are welcome to include their experience on a CV or resume, they are still expected to uphold the confidentiality of other volunteers and maintain the organization’s anonymity at all times.

Have other questions? Contact us!

Why should you apply?

Minimalist line drawing of one person comforting another, with a heart symbol below them, on a dark background.

Support your peers

Be a source of support for the Concordia and greater Montreal communities.

Find Your Community

Join a community of caring, like-minded students and build meaningful, long-lasting friendships!

Icon of two people with speech bubbles above them, representing communication or conversation.

Gain clinical experience

Finding opportunities for clinical experience can be difficult, volunteering with us can be a boost to your graduate school applications!

Strengthen your skillset

Active listening allows you to practice clear communication relationships and cultivate trust.

Past Volunteer Testimonials

  • "Nightline has really taught me that community and building connections are everything. It's expanded my horizons on what can be accomplished and the power of collectivity."


  • "Listening matters! It seems so simple and so easy but it's quite complex and can be incredibly valuable to people."

  • "I believe that having a space where people will actively listen to you talk about anything and support you in that is really special and valuable."

  • "The Nightline's capacity to offer pure active listening where the person listening is truly emphasizing with you is what makes it so unique...I really appreciate the experience and everything I learned while there."

  • “Since the Nightline is still in its early stages, there is so much more room for growth and I want every volunteer to feel some sort of ownership over the organization, to have them feel like it's theirs and that they want to take care of it and do their best for our callers."

  • "I think everyone who joins — all the trainers and volunteers — are so tender-hearted and authentically caring, which creates this unique entity that's completely different than any other."

  • "It can be hard, I think, for people to ask others to listen to them, to feel that they deserve the space to be heard without necessarily being charming or interesting or receiving advice. It's hard to ask for space, and at Nightline we provide that."

  • "It was once I began volunteering here that I realized how rare it is to have people truly listen to you — through no fault of their own, everyone is somewhat wrapped up in their own lives, and during conversations people often are just thinking of their next response instead of truly listening to you."