Until I sat down for coffee with Michelle Moorhead, the Executive Director of Teen Lifeline, I had not focused on how pervasive the issue of teen suicide is, and how the stresses of the pandemic have dramatically compounded the challenges faced by youth today.
Michelle’s 2020 Impact Report highlighted scary changes brought about by COVID-19. “Teens found their whole world shaken, transitioning to school at home, and isolated from friends, sports, and important connections.” The result was a 30% jump in calls to the lifeline. Teen Lifeline responded by adding texting capability to meet teens on their own terms, and by redesigning their website to increase access to lifesaving communications. All was done with one goal in mind – to support the hotline callers by listening and helping them through the crises that teenagers face every day, even more so in these uncertain times.
In Arizona, suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for children and teens. Anyone who is facing a moment of crisis and makes the decision to reach out for help is seeking an understanding and compassionate listener. At Teen Lifeline their approach is what sets them apart. Teen Lifeline is the only peer-to-peer response program in Arizona. Youth find comfort in talking to another teen about the challenges they face, and the message of hope and compassion they receive from a peer can be the life changing and life-saving answer these youngsters need. The beauty of this program is that the teens who power the hotline also benefit. They learn life skills that increase their compassion for others, decision making skills and interpersonal communication tools that will benefit them in their future personal relationships and career.
35,000 calls and texts came into the hotline in 2020. Almost 1/3 of these related to issues of suicide and depression. Other topics included family issues, relationships, anxiety and abuse. In Arizona 38 children died by suicide in 2019 – 38 too many!
Teen Lifeline’s vision is that we will have a world where all youth possess a sense of connectedness, and have hope for their future. The telephone and text lines that give a teen in crisis the opportunity to connect with another teen is a vital step toward this mission. I am thrilled to know that one young person can reach out and be connected with one other young person, and the caller will know that they are not alone. Lives are saved, seemingly devastating challenges are handled, and a teen without hope finds a listening ear and a caring respondent. At Teen Lifeline, 95% of callers/texters report feeling better after their interaction with the hotline. One youth at a time, teens helping teens truly make a difference!
The hotline is open 24/7/365. Peer counseling is from 3:00 – 9:00 pm daily and texting is 12:00 – 9:00 pm weekdays, 3:00 -9:00 pm weekends. Call or text 602.248.8336. Learn more about Teen Lifeline, and support their work by visiting www.teenlifeline.org Teen Lifeline is a Qualifying Charitable Organization for Arizona state tax credits (QCO#20695) allowing individual taxpayers a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for qualifying contributions.
Dan Shufelt, the former CEO of Arizona Helping Hands, has been involved in the charity world as an executive and grant maker for many years.
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