For many high school students, the pressures of academics, relationships and future planning can feel overwhelming. It’s easy to feel isolated or uncertain about where to turn for support. 

Youthline is a free, confidential and peer to peer support hotline to help offer support to students across the United States. YouthLine is based in Oregon, with two call centers; one in Portland and the other in Bend. Students who volunteer take calls, chats and texts with other students who are going through tough times. 

While conversations are kept private, YouthLine volunteers are mandatory reporters, meaning they must contact the necessary authorities if a minor is experiencing or has experienced abuse, neglect or assault, or if there are immediate safety concerns.  

Genevieve Castle is an Outreach Coordinator at Youthline, and discusses the importance of having an accessible resource. 

“Youthline is important because it is a really easily accessible resource that feels really comfortable to use,” said Castle. “It is super welcoming and much less scary to reach out to other resources.”

She emphasizes that YouthLine offers support for a wide range of situations, not just crises.

“No problem is too big or too small. A lot of people think that when you hear ‘crisis line,’ you have to reach out because you’re feeling unsafe, or you’re having thoughts of suicide or you’re depressed, which you can, and we absolutely do all of those things,” said Castle.  “But you also can reach out just because you’re having a bad day or to vent.”

For confidentiality, student-volunteer names are not shared, but many report that their experiences at YouthLine have been deeply impactful.

An anonymous volunteer says, “Volunteering at YouthLine has helped me become more confident in public speaking and become more empathetic, not just at [YouthLine] but in my everyday life. It’s taught me how to handle more difficult conversations and support the people around me better.”

Another student volunteer at Lincoln shared similar thoughts. 

“When I first started volunteering, I worried that I might not know what to say or that I wouldn’t be able to handle challenging conversations. But the training and support from the YouthLine team definitely prepared me.”

Volunteers go through an intensive one week training to be able to be fully equipped to volunteer. For anyone considering volunteering for Youthline, Castle definitely recommends it. 

“People may think they can’t handle it, but they absolutely can,” said Castle.

For more information on volunteering, check out the Youthline website at https://www.theyouthline.org/ to sign up for a monthly orientation, where they will give you all the information for signing up for training and interviews.

To contact the crisis line in Youthline, visit their website for calling, texting and chatting contact information.