Welcome! You're a Zuzu Ambassador 🌻

A guide for kind listeners

Heyy, you are awesomeeee. Thank you! 🫶

You raised your hand to listen to a stranger you may never meet, at a moment they might not share with anyone else. That is a rare kind of kindness. ✨

From today, you are a Zuzu Ambassador. It is not a badge, it is a quiet promise: when someone comes to Zuzu carrying something heavy, there is a kind person on the other side. Sometimes, that person is you. 🌙

This guide is short. Read it once, play with the examples, and then trust yourself. You already have the most important part: you care. 💛

Make someone feel heard, loved, and maybe a little better than when they came.

• Listen more than you talk. Let them lead.
• You do not need to fix anything. Being there is enough.
• Short, warm replies beat perfect words.
• If someone may be in danger, gently point them to a helpline.

What Zuzu believes

• People first: A real person is always looked for first. The AI is only a backup.
• Heard, not fixed: Most people do not need answers. They need someone to really listen.
• Anonymous by design: No names, no profiles. So people can say what they cannot say anywhere else.
• Good vibes, no ads, no paywalls: A calm, free space. No feed, no timer, nothing to sell.
• Peer support, not therapy: Kind strangers helping each other. Not a doctor, not a crisis line.

How chats work

• Random names: Everyone gets a soft, random two-word name for each visit. No account, no photo, no profile.
• Vent meets Listen: Venters are matched with listeners. If nobody with the other role is free after a few seconds, Zuzu may match two people with the same role, and says so.
• AI when nobody is free: After about 10 seconds of searching, the AI Companion is offered. It is always labelled as AI.
• Nothing is saved: Chats go straight to the other person and are not saved, photos and voice notes included. When it closes, it is gone.
• Blurred photos: Photos arrive blurred until you tap to see them. Voice notes only play when you press play. Links copy on tap, never open.
• Report or Block: Tap ••• at the top of the chat. Block ends the chat at once, and you will not be matched with that person again on this visit.
• Helpline check: If a message has words like "want to die", the writer sees a free helpline and their partner sees a short tip. Nothing is stored.
• Leave anytime: Either person can end the chat whenever they like. Afterwards, Zuzu asks "How did you feel?". Warm answers send the other person a short, anonymous note.

Your first chat

1. Tap Listen: On the home page, choose Listen. No account, no name. You get a soft, random one, like everyone on Zuzu.
2. Zuzu finds someone: You are matched with a person who chose Vent. If nobody is venting yet, you can wait, or warm up with the AI Companion, which plays a made-up person who needs to talk.
3. Say hello, softly: They might start with a long message, one word, or nothing at all. Small suggestions above the chat box can help you begin.
4. Close kindly: When they are ready to go, thank them for trusting you. Then the chat is gone. Nothing is saved.

Best time to show up: Chat Hour. Twice a day, for 60 minutes, more people come at the same time, so someone who needs to talk finds you faster.

Example chats

Lonely at night

• They: hi
• You (listening): Hi, I'm glad you're here. Take your time.
• They: i don't even know why i opened this. just feel really alone tonight
• You (listening): That sounds really heavy. Nights can make it louder. Want to tell me what has been going on?
• They: moved to a new city for work. 3 months and i still don't have one friend here
• You (listening): Three months of coming home to quiet. That's hard, especially when you're trying so much.
• They: yeah. thanks for actually listening
• You (listening): Of course. I'm here as long as you want to talk.

Name the feeling, say back what you heard, and let them set the pace.

A quiet start

• They: idk
• You (listening): That's okay. You don't have to know. I'm here.
• They: ...
• You (listening): No rush at all. Even one word is enough.
• They: work. my boss yelled at me in front of everyone
• You (listening): Oof, in front of everyone. That must have felt awful. How are you feeling about it now?
• They: embarrassed. and angry
• You (listening): Both make total sense. Anyone would feel that.

Silence is okay. Make it easy to start, and never push.

They ask for advice

• They: should i text him first? it's been 2 weeks since we fought
• You (listening): It sounds like you miss him. What does your heart say?
• They: i do miss him. but i'm scared he'll ignore it
• You (listening): That fear makes sense. If you want my honest thought: a short, kind message often opens the door. But you know him best.
• They: maybe i'll try tomorrow. i feel calmer
• You (listening): I'm really glad. Whatever you choose, it was brave to talk about it.

Ask what they feel first. Offer a thought only when asked, and leave the choice to them.

When it gets heavy

• They: honestly sometimes i just want to die
• Note: Zuzu shows them a free helpline, and shows you a short tip. Only on their screen and yours. Nothing is saved.
• You (listening): I'm really glad you told me. That sounds so painful, and you don't have to carry it alone.
• You (listening): Are you safe right now?
• They: i think so. just tired of everything
• You (listening): Thank you for being honest. Would you be open to talking to a helpline too? They are free, and they can help in ways I can't.
• They: maybe. i'll look
• You (listening): That's a brave step. I'm right here with you.

Stay calm and kind, ask if they are safe, and point to real help. You are not alone in this either.

Words that help

To begin

• I'm here to listen.
• Take your time.
• No judgment here.
• What's on your mind?

To keep going

• That sounds like a lot.
• Want to tell me more?
• How did that feel?
• That makes so much sense.

To end warmly

• Thank you for trusting me with this.
• I hope tonight feels a little lighter.
• Come back anytime. Someone will be here.

When it gets heavy

• If someone talks about hurting themselves or ending their life, stay calm and kind. Thank them for telling you, and ask if they are safe right now.
• Gently encourage them to contact a free helpline or local emergency services. Zuzu shows them a helpline card, and you can share findahelpline.com too.
• You are not responsible for saving anyone. Your part is to care, and to point the way to real help.
• If someone is rude, sexual or makes you uncomfortable, tap ••• at the top of the chat to Report or Block. You never have to stay.
• After a heavy chat, take a breath. Step away, drink some water, or release it in Let Go.

Feel the rituals

• Let Go: Write a worry and release it into the night sky. Private: never posted, never shown to anyone.
• Sky of Thoughts: A shared sky of anonymous feelings. Read what others feel, tap Me too, and leave kind replies.

Kind replies in the Sky of Thoughts are listening too. On a day you have five minutes but not a whole chat, that is a lovely way to help.

Do's

• Listen first, and let them lead
• Say back what you hear, in their words
• Ask open, gentle questions
• Give advice only when they ask
• If you need to go, say so early and kindly
• Point to a helpline when someone may be in danger
• Take care of yourself too

Don'ts

• Judge, lecture or argue
• Make it about you
• Rush to fix, or say "just get over it"
• Share or ask for names, numbers, socials or places
• Flirt, or say anything sexual
• Act like a therapist, or promise to keep someone safe
• Leave without a word

No pressure. Ever.

This is not a job, and there are no shifts. ☕ Listen when you have the time and the energy, on your own terms. Rest is part of this too, because a tired listener cannot give much.

Some chats will feel big. In others, someone just says thanks and leaves. Both count. 🌱

Just this: when you are there, make someone feel heard, loved, and maybe a little better than when they came. That is the whole thing.

Thank you for being part of Zuzu. You make it kinder. 🌻🫶

Start listening · Chat Hour · Volunteer as a Listener