Imagine that in one hour an 18-year-old Listener handles a call from 19-year-old male needing information on college admissions, provides information to a father needing a neighborhood day care program for his 3- year-old daughter, and helps a 13-year-old female concerned about her friend whose parents are divorcing.

Don’t imagine it. Trained young people are already assisting other young people and adults by providing geo-coded resource information, listening to them in crisis situations, and helping them face everyday life issues. Unfortunately, they are only doing it – in this comprehensive manner – in a handful of places for a limited number of hours.

What is Youthline?

Youthline is a toll-free confidential line available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is staffed by salaried youth, referred to as Listeners. Listeners undergo more than 100 hours of training and on-going professional supervision that prepares them to provide information, handle crisis calls, and listen to youth who are working through the issues most important to them.

Youthline will employ thousands of youth and provide them with the training and skills needed to use information systems, perform crisis intervention, and enhance communication.

Why do we need a Youthline?

On the local and national levels, there are now many 800 numbers dedicated to specific and often critical issues. These lines provide vital resources for young people in crisis; however, these phone systems are not conceived or designed with the staffing and goal of Youthline, which will available to all youth to:

Listen – The importance and art of attentive listening. Youth Listeners will be trained to listen in a non-judgmental manner to young people’s  hopes, concerns, and fears about issues ranging from getting a job, to relationships, to immediate crises.

Inform – Listeners will be trained on how to access information on the ilivehere.info website to inform young people of resources and opportunities available in their communities.

Problem Solve (to the next level) – Listeners will possess the skills and information to work with youth to suggest pathways and steps toward solutions, including seamless transfers to experts in crises.

Youthline works at the nexus of the message and the messenger, providing safe, accurate, and timely information, each and every time.

Youthline is a project of Youthline America, whose mission is to build a safe, interactive communication system for young people. The Youthline will “Build a human connection in a digital world.”