I joined Heart Support nearly a year ago and have really enjoyed my time in the organization. I have been able to provide some support and guidance to many fellow music fans that need to share their stories and situations. It has been a great way to utilize my desire to help others and with my background it music, it has made it all the better. In addition, I joined to supports group where we connected with someone who requested a longer term connection. We have been connected for about two months now and has so far worked out great. We are building a good relationship and enjoy conversations about music, family, and have also been able to discuss some challenges he has had over the years. The goal of the support program is to connect for a year, with weekly discussions. We have been able to meet weekly and have enjoyed each others perspective on life events. I feel we will stay connected and go past the year commitment. So far it has been great volunteering for Heart Support, it has helped me and I pray I have been able to help others along the way.
Being involved with HeartSupport, I've been able to gain a sense of self-worth that is not based on my productivity. I also have learned ways to support others when they need someone to listen to their story. I've seen those I've supported go from anxiety and insecurity to resiliency.
This organization is amazing. As a volunteer, I've seen how powerful the community created and the connections made truly are. As someone that has faced struggles, support is not a negotiable. If you need support, Heartsupport is always there, no questions asked, no judgement. I can't see myself ever not being a part of this beautiful goal to heal the scene.
I've been with HeartSupport as a volunteer supporter and replier for a couple weeks, and so far, it's been fantastic. It's a supportive, respectful community, and an invaluable resource for anyone struggling with their mental health and life issues. Best of all, we don't just support the public. We support each other. I'm privileged to be involved with this awesome organization!
Heart Support has been a consistent and powerful part of my life for years. It is so much more than just an organization, it is a community of people that want to help others and themselves, and routinely do so. The leadership team is top notch. They walk the walk. I would recommend Heart Support to anyone that is interested in mental health, music, or just helping others. I am super proud of this community, what they stand for, and how we fight to always help others. Volunteering on a weekly basis as a replier has changed my life for the better!
Heartsupport is the place where you can go and be heard. Everyone loves on you no matter what and you are never alone. I hope you can find peace within this place just like I did and I now have life long relationships that continue to grow day in and day in and day out. Much love
I’ve been a HeartSupport volunteer for just a few months. I’ve made some amazing connections and have been able to reach out to those that just needed to be heard. It’s been so rewarding and has helped me with my own mental health. We all have a story to tell and it’s wonderful to have a space to share it with no judgement - just pure love and acceptance. Thank you HeartSupport for all you do! ✨
I have followed HeartSupport since 2012/2013. During that time I struggled with my own mental health. From then on I worked hard on myself and even with the help of others. Fast forward to May/June of 2024, HeartSupport announced a new program where volunteers such as myself mentor/support those struggling with their own mental health. I signed up right away and was part of the first few people to volunteer. To share my struggles to help someone through their own has been a rewarding experience to say the least. Watching the community of volunteers grow over the past year has been a beautiful thing. I am so proud to be a part of the HeartSupport family.
HeartSupport has been a game changer when it comes to mental health. Combining music, especially metal, with talking about mental health hit me hard in a time I was searching for a purpose for myself. I first came across them on Instagram and from the first reel, I was hooked. I knew I had to get involved. Since then, I've volunteered at a festival, and spent my time with a peer match weekly, and connected with so many awesome individuals. HeartSupport is providing all the right tools to truly Heal the Scene!!
I joined Heart Support as a volunteer responder back in October or 24 because I enjoy helping people. I figured if I can use my experiences and the mess inside of my head to help other people then why not?
As a bonus I get to talk with the other volunteers through discord. We share important events in our lives, and support each other during rough times.
I truly feel that as a member of HS I am helping to heal the scene of the people I reply to.
I found HeartSupport through their music reactions on YouTube. I had, not long, gone through a time un my life of severe depression and wanted to be done with life. HeartSupport helped save my life! I am now a volunteer and have had the opportunity to meet wonderful people that have been through many of the same things I have. There is so much love and support within their community and I urge anyone that is struggling to reach out to HeartSupport. I also urge you to consider joining with them in helping others find hope in their darkest of times.
Eric
I'm new to the channel as a volunteer, and I could not be more enthused to help another person. Talking to someone about my struggles and mental health saved my life. At my lowest point I didn't see the point of going on. The concept to this outreach program is exactly what I needed, and I'm so thankful I get to pass on my experiences to help another
I have been a volunteer with HeartSupport for just over a year in the role of weekly team facilitator, and I love this organization. I believe their vision and mission is so unique, and so needed in our fragmented society. HeartSupport creates a safe place for music fans to open up about their mental health struggles and successes and offers hope and encouragement to those souls who might be suffering alone with nobody to talk to about their pain and daily difficulties. As volunteer repliers, our trained team members write replies directly to brave people who have commented on YouTube music reaction videos asking for support in difficult situations in their lives, and it is our pleasure to support them with non-judgement, unconditional love, positive examples of our own mental health coping strategies, and mainly with words of hope and light to brighten the dark times they are experiencing. I love this community and this organization. They truly are helping to heal the music scene!
HeartSupport has really changed my life. I've been a volunteer close to 3 years now and the impact and growth I've seen during that time has been second to none!
Heart support is an incredible group of people, every one involved has a way of letting you know that you are not alone in your struggle with mental health. I talk about them to everyone I can and never have enough good things to say
I volunteer for Heartsupport as a mentor, there is nothing like it. It is an amazing place for peers to communicate and lift eachother up using the common basis of music and interests. A judgement free zone for connection and relationships built on interests and common ground. It is a beautiful thing.
Speaking as a volunteer, HeartSupport is the real deal. The training is comprehensive, focused, and effective. The staff is incredibly supportive of the volunteers and responsive to anyone that needs assistance. The volunteer community is supportive as well, and the culture of the organization is incredibly positive. Volunteering has been a rewarding and educational experience.
I started volunteering for HeartSupport about 3 months ago and it has been HANDS DOWN the most amazing opportunity. Every peer, volunteer, and staff that I have come in contact with has been kind, respectful and passionate about helping others. This community is unique because so many people, including myself, see metal music (or music in general) as their only source of validation and safety in times of distress or uncertainty. HeartSupport reaches these people so deeply in their heart and connects them with likeminded people who feel the exact same way. So many people feel alone in this, but HeartSupport sees these individuals and connects them with people who can walk alongside them during tough times. I wish this program was around 15 years ago when I was at my lowest, going to music festivals hoping to feel that sense of safety and community. I see firsthand with my peer how impactful HeartSupport is and I am proud to be apart of it.
HeartSupport is a steady, bright light in a scene that needs support. The metal community is a place where the darkness of life is often brought to the surface, and without places like HeartSupport, that darkness can feel overwhelming. HeartSupport acknowledges the healing that needs to be done in each fans' life, and chooses to support EVERY SINGLE FAN however they can, whether it be through its Support Wall or Support Calls programs. And it's all free peer support! There are no strings attached, because HeartSupport genuinely cares. The online volunteer community is a beautiful space where every volunteer can share insight, life updates, and choose to be vulnerable and reach out to other volunteers. No matter where you go in HeartSupport's community, you will find a crew of people who TRULY care and DEEPLY appreciate the existence of every person they meet. To put it simply, HeartSupport has a HEART for the people they meet, and for every person that chooses to be vulnerable in their pursuit of healing, HeartSupport will do all they can to walk beside that person and show them they are never alone. To be a part of this community (FAMILY) and team is something I am beyond grateful for!
There's really no way that I can accurately express how much HeartSupport means to me in a short write-up. I grew up knowing about HeartSupport and volunteering at fests. I got to see their impact and how they truly change lives every day. By using music as the catalyst to get people to open up, it leads to real support because everyone will talk about why their favorite song matters to them, and because of HeartSupport, they get trained support once they do open up. From volunteering at fests to becoming one of their online volunteers, then going from intern to now eventually a staff member, I've seen all of the ins-and-outs of this organization and it makes my heart happy to see a non-profit that truly has impact as the driving factor behind every decision. Every decision is made to help others and to give support. Everyone on the team is mission-aligned and works tirelessly to make sure that fans are seen, heard, loved, and supported. Volunteers are treated with the utmost respect, and being a part of that volunteer team really feels like entering a family of like-minded people with hearts to help others. HeartSupport as a whole takes the music community and turns it into a place where we can go deeper with each other, be more vulnerable, and get real, meaningful support. I'd give HeartSupport 6 stars if I could.
I've volunteered as a peer supporter for about a year now. What I respect most about Heart Support is their focus on making sure the work we do is research-based and effective. I came into things cautiously. In online mental health settings it can be easy for people to overstep their bounds, giving advice or making "diagnoses." The Heart Support training uses peer reviewed research to teach peer support volunteers about how to give effective support while also staying in our lanes as peers and not acting like therapists.
I greatly appreciate this about them. It shows me that they're a serious and focused organization. If they weren't, I wouldn't be a volunteer.