Teenagers prefer to share their anxiety with their friends rather than with their parents

Youth Line, one of six youth lines across America, has demonstrated how teens can interact with their peers online or by telephone in a way that adults can't do.

It aims to attract more young voices to intervene in resolving the crises of their peers. But to deploy this service, they must convince skeptics that teenagers can do the job.

Youth Line trains volunteers between the ages of 15 and 20 to answer calls from adolescents seeking help by phone, text message, chat or email.

The pressure of adolescence
Many troubled teens say it is easy to share their anxiety and dismay on a hotline with people of their age, not their parents, according to an article in the New York Times.

After losing 18-year-old Thailand's best friend who committed suicide, Harrison began looking for ways to honor his friend's memory and help him forget his grief and support others in the difficult times they are going through, writer Catherine Cheney said. So he decided to volunteer at Lines for Life, a nonprofit organization working in crisis resolution in Portland Oregon.

A few months after working there, Harrison received a call from a teenager who was considering suicide by throwing himself in front of the train. He managed to convince the caller that the library was the safest place for him. Harrison remained in contact with him on the phone even during his bus career.

Harrison, 23, later joined the YouthLine team, a service provided by Youth for Life for 11 to 21-year-olds.

Anxiety and depression
Youth suicide rates are growing faster than any other age group, and social networking sites are likely to play a major role in growing anxiety and depression among adolescents.

Some studies have shown that adolescents who experience stress during adolescence behave better when they are with their friends than their parents.

"Since young people in distress are more likely to turn to their peers than adults, training is essential to equipping Youth Line volunteers for the task they will undertake, to be useful to them and to the callers alike," said Emily Moser, Program Director at Youth Line.

Volunteer Teens
Youth Line volunteers receive 55-hour mentoring sessions, known as Safe Talk, to learn about the suicidal thoughts of some young people.

The more experienced volunteers go on training in applied suicide intervention skills. Volunteer adolescents commit to a one-hour shift of three and a half hours per week for at least one year.

"I started volunteering at Youth Line because I felt that many of my friends were looking to help me solve some of the difficult problems they were going through, but I couldn't," said 17-year-old Katrina Griles. "She was able to build the trust she was looking for to help others, and she was able to talk to the young people who contacted her."

To be a teenager of this age
Volunteers know how difficult it is to be a teenager in such an age. They receive training to meet callers wherever they are. When a teenager declares that he has failed a test and will not continue his university studies, the volunteer should listen to him and allow him to express his feelings rather than promptly say that everything will be fine.

The volunteers are accompanied by a master's clinical doctor who supervises their activity. Experts listen to calls and review texts, conversations and emails using an internal messaging service. They remind volunteers of the best practices that are part of their training and exchange views on how they can make callers think they are talking to an adult like a parent or counselor.

Youth Line must report child protection or emergency services if a volunteer receives a call from someone who is abused or at risk.

"Most calls from teenagers with suicidal tendencies revolve around the daily challenges they face, such as ending their relationships, getting bad grades, and being harassed," said Dwight Holton, executive director of Lines For Life. Writer.

Lines of communication crises
The six youth lines talk to more than 50,000 people each year, and telephone conferences are held on a monthly basis to share best practices.

Holton encouraged audiences to talk to Tin Line's executive director, Michele Carlson, about how adults working in crisis lines can better communicate with teenagers, as well as discuss ways to create similar programs in their communities.

Over the past year, 25% of calls and messages received by Youth Line from Oregon and 75% from the rest of the states. Lines for Life and Teen Life regularly look for ways to employ the model nationally. Holton plans to create a service similar to the National Suicide Prevention Line, specifically targeted at young people. He hopes to start implementing his plan in the next two years.