Why I Joined The Cyber Helpline
Have you ever thought about what happens to people who are victims of cybercrime, digital fraud and online harm? Who supports them? How do they get their identities back? This is exactly what The Cyber Helpline does. It’s a Non-Proft Organisation that has assisted over 500,000 people through the help of volunteer hepline responders.
There’s a chatbot that guides people to the right online guidance from the Helpline’s library of content. If more help is needed, you can speak to one of their volunteer responders. Volunteers ranging from early career professionals to seasoned experts leverage their cybersecurity knowledge and experience to support people who need help. How cool is that?! They (I guess it’s we now) have won the Not-for-profit of the year award at the National Cyber Awards 3 times in a row now!
The first time I heard about The Cyber Helpline, I thought “this is awesome, it would be great to be a part of this!”. This year, in a meeting with Charlotte Hooper (Head of Operations), I found out they were looking for members of their Advisory Board and I immediately applied. At this time, I already knew members of the CyBlack (a Non-Profit I co-founded) community who were volunteering for the organisation.
After applying, I kept in touch with Charlotte. She expressed her interest in improving digital accessibility (something I’m very passionate about) in the organisation, its website and resources. This got me even more excited to join, as it would give me a chance to help from the inside. I had very interesting interviews with Stuart Quick and Mike Wawro. Their questions gave me even more ideas on how I could contribute.
As the title implies, it was a yes! My first action as an Advisory Board Member is to deliver an internal session talking about accessibility! I’m really excited and grateful for the opportunity to make an impact in this amazing organisation, which positively impacts so many lives.
The Cyber Helpline is now expanding into the US. If you’re looking to volunteer or support in any other way (e.g. donations), this will be much appreciated. To learn more about The Cyber Helpline and stay updated, use the links below:
Website: thecyberhelpline.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cyberhelplineuk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HelplineCyber
