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TASH WALKER: Switchboard is a LGBT plus helpline.
We're a support and listening service.
And we are in the office of Switchboard
in the heart of London.
So Switchboard started back in 1974.
It was off of the back of the partial decriminalization
of homosexuality, which happened here in 1967.
So we turned 45 this year.
As an organization, we try to move
with the evolving nature of culture and education
and society.
G Suite for nonprofits has really helped us.
We worked really hard with Google
ad grants to ensure that whatever people are typing in,
it some way hopefully will directly
link them to Switchboard.
RICHARD DESMOND: It's difficult now to realize quite
how radical Switchboard was.
I first phoned in 1979.
I was just coming up to 15 at that point,
and I was told about the first [? groups ?] in this country
supporting young LGBT people.
My life changed and I will be forever grateful.
XAN PEDISICH: As someone who identifies as queer,
I wanted to get involved with my own community doing
some type of direct outreach.
We've always come from within the community
to support the community.
In the beginning, we were 24 hours.
Now we're 10 AM to 10 PM.
We have 200 volunteers.
So it is a lot of people to coordinate,
and G Suite for Nonprofits is what enables all of that.
Collaboration on documents, attending meetings,
it makes all of that seamless.
PETE HANNAM: We use Gmail for most of our collaboration.
Google Drive is used for sharing.
So when I need to write a proposal for something,
that gets shared with the trustees.
The trustees then comment and review that directly.
TASH WALKER: Hangouts is a really useful tool
that we've used within Switchboard.
And due to the nature of being a volunteer led organization,
everyone gets to have a say, and it
feels like a much more unified consensus-driven meeting
than before.
PETE HANNAM: So I started out as a volunteer,
and I've taken many calls over the years.
You know, some of them are good.
Some of them are bad.
Some days, I come away thinking I've wasted my time.
Some days, I come away basically on the verge of tears
because it's been such a powerful call
I've had with somebody.
XAN PEDISICH: Being a volunteer for Switchboard
is incredibly rewarding and a huge privilege, because people
are sharing what matters most in their life
or big parts of their life with you.
We listen.
We try to understand.
We suggest places that might help.
Switchboard is able to help people
to be their authentic selves.
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