When a teen reaches out to Teen Line, often times they feel alone. Overwhelmed. Maybe scared of their own thoughts.
They don’t know who else to call. On the other end of the line, another teen answers. Teen Line is a hotline run for teens, by teens. It’s a place where young people can speak openly and be met with empathy instead of judgment. But what makes this space extraordinary isn’t just the calls. It’s the courage behind them.
Maranda, a former Resource Associate (RA), is one of the many mental health professionals that sit beside our Teen Listeners during every shift. As a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, she worked in community behavioral health for years. Still, Teen Line moved her in a new way.
“What struck me most,” she shared, “was how courageous our teen volunteers are. It takes so much courage to sit in the unknown–not knowing what’s coming your way and then being asked in real time to hold space and respond.”
Before ever picking up a call, each Teen Listener completes more than 65 hours of training and a rigorous vetting process. And they never do it alone. RAs like Maranda are there to guide, support, and help them process what they hear. But in the moment of the call, it’s simply one teen telling another: I’m here. I’m listening. You matter.
For a young person who feels invisible or misunderstood, that can be everything. It can be the difference between suffering in silence and finding the strength to hold on.
“This is real life,” Maranda says. “This is what teens are really feeling or experiencing, and we shouldn’t bury our heads in the sand about the suffering that exists for young people.”
Because of donors like you, they don’t have to carry it alone.
