Teens often feel more comfortable talking to their peers about their problems than they do talking with adults. YouthLine, a crisis line run by Lines for Life, leverages this fact by staffing its lines with teen and young adult volunteers.
“Young people reach out to us because they want to talk to somebody close or similar in age,” said YouthLine director Emily Moser, MPA.
Youth volunteers staff the lines from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Pacific time each day, with adults available to talk at other hours. YouthLine gets approximately 25,000 contacts each year, Moser said, with about half being calls and half coming in through text message or email. Teen operators receive more than 65 hours of training, including certification through the programs Youth Mental Health First Aid USA (PDF)opens in new window and safeTALK, two evidence-based trainings. Most also get Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST).
“YouthLine is a youth development program, too,” Moser said. “One thing people ask us all the time is, Can teenagers really do this? And the answer is an obvious yes. The youth we work with learn about their own mental wellness and self-care and a lot about help-seeking.”
Youth staff work in a supervised location with adults available to step in during particularly difficult calls. But the call center is a tight-knit space with a huge beanbag chair, a giant Jenga game, snacks, and a carpet speckled with crumbs, Moser said. “More than 90% of the volunteers tell us, ‘This experience is life-changing for me, and I will carry these skills everywhere I go.’”
To reach YouthLine, teens can call 877-968-8491, text “teen2teen” to 839863, emailopens in new window, or visit the YouthLine websiteopens in new window.
