Volunteer

Stand watch.

Watchstanders are the first link in the crisis watch chain — the person pinged when a fellow veteran's post trips the trigger language watch. It's a real duty, and you're never on it alone.

What a watchstander does

When trigger language is detected in the forums, you get the alert first — by email and in the mod queue.
You acknowledge it ("I have the watch"), check on the veteran in the thread, and connect them with help.
If you can't take it within 5 minutes, the alert climbs automatically to the watch captain, then the founders. Nothing ever sits unread.
You are not a counselor and never expected to be one. Imminent danger goes straight to 988 (press 1) or text 838255.

Before you stand alone: the Watch Stander Handbook (about a forty-minute read), a thirty-minute call, and a shadow shift with a watch captain. Read the handbook first. The application asks whether you have.

1Apply. Tell us who you are, your availability, and why you want the watch.
2Review. A founder reads every application and sets up a short conversation.
3Train & go on watch. Complete watchstander training, get the moderator toolkit, and take your first watch block.

About you

Full name *

Email *

Phone (for urgent watch handoffs)

Time zone

I served (veterans, active duty, Guard, and Reserves all welcome on watch)

Why the watch

Why do you want to stand watch? *

Relevant experience

Crisis training

Select any you have. None are required to apply — we train every watchstander.

Availability

Which watch blocks could you cover? The midnight watch is where we need people most.

Hours per week you can give

The commitments

I will complete watchstander training before my first watch. Crisis response basics, the watch chain, and how to acknowledge and hand off alerts.I will follow the escalation protocol every time. Watchstanders support and connect — we never counsel past our depth. Imminent danger always goes to 988 (press 1) and up the chain.I will protect member privacy. What happens on watch stays on watch. Alert contents are never shared outside the chain.

Submitting creates a pending application. A founder reviews it, talks with you, and — if it's a fit — your account gets watch duties after training.