Rainbow volunteers Sadaf, Lieke and Lennaert regularly go out with a fellow city dweller struggling with mental health issues. What is it like to be a buddy of someone with psychological problems? And what does it actually bring you, being a volunteer?
Being a buddy of someone with mental health issues, what is that like?
Sadaf (34): "Very normal. I haven't experienced anything crazy in any case. Of course it takes some getting used to in the beginning, but once you click and get to know the other person, you really build a bond. It's just like friends, you have to get to know them first too."
Lieke (37): "I noticed that my buddy was nervous the first time. That was a little uncomfortable for me, but I understood where it came from. It was just very exciting for her and for me as well for that matter. Now we are so in tune with each other that she dares to make jokes about me. That means she feels at ease. I also see her blossoming. But I do understand that people can find it difficult to volunteer someone who is struggling with mental health problems. Maybe it's ignorance. Of course psychiatry covers a lot of things, even someone with a burnout, so very normal people. But what is normal? I also consider someone with autism normal."
Lennaert (52): "My buddy is undocumented. He comes from the Ivory Coast and is quite traumatized. We don't talk about the past. We just enjoy building a relationship based on equality. That's the beauty of being a volunteer: as a buddy you don't have to solve problems, you just have to be interested in the other person."
"It's just like friends, you have to get to know them first too."
Why did you choose the Rainbow?
Sadaf: "What the Rainbow stands for appeals to me: helping people who are having a hard time in life. I used to do volunteer work as well, but on my own. I helped people in my own environment. I noticed that I had trouble setting my boundaries. You learn that at the Rainbow. When you start volunteering there, you receive good guidance. You have a coordinator who looks over your shoulder and slams on the brakes if you overstep your boundaries. At the Rainbow I also learned how to make others self-reliant. I have a tendency to take over tasks, but that doesn't help anyone, of course. At De Regenboog I learned how to really help someone move on.
"As a buddy, you don't have to solve problems, you just have to be interested in the other person."
So what do you do as a volunteer?
Lieke: "At the Rainbow they provide a good match to begin with. My buddy and I like the same things: biking,going to museums. So if it's good, a bond almost naturally develops. You go out together."
Lennaert (52): "Because my buddy sleeps badly, he wants to do a lot during the day, walking, sports, so that he is nice and tired in the evening. One day we went to play tennis. He had never done that before. I gave him a racket and some balls, turns out he's very good! Truly a natural talent. I saw him completely blossom on that tennis court."
"At the Rainbow, I learned how to really help someone move forward."
What does it bring you to be a volunteer?
Lieke: "I see that my buddy is developing step by step. That can only make me happy."
Lennaert: "What I get out of it for myself is that it forces me to take time for something. Going to the beach, playing tennis, wandering around town. When my buddy thanked me one day, I said: thank you! Because of you I have started to do all kinds of things that I normally do less easily. Being interested in another person is also time for yourself."
Text: Nicolline van der Spek I Photography: Merlin Michon
"Interest in another is also time for yourself."