Teen Line, the youth-run crisis line at Didi Hirsch, welcomed a new cohort of Teen Listeners at the Applied Technology Center High School in Montebello.
Volunteers, known as Teen Listeners, traditionally need to travel to the Westside of LA to be a participant in the 12-week training program at Teen Line’s headquarters. The goal of the pilot program, which was originally initiated in 2021, is to destigmatize mental health in the community by diversifying the hotline, as well as expand the opportunity to teens who would otherwise not get the chance to participate in the program due to transportation barriers.
“In the school [Applied Technology Center High School], there is a lot of stigma coming from students, peers, or parents,” said Heylee Chagzoetsang, Assistant Program Director for Teen Line. “For many of the teens, this is the first time they are openly discussing and learning about these topics, and they can feel very vulnerable. They are gaining so much self-awareness as they discuss family dynamics, dive into communication styles, and the importance of mental health.”
The latest cohort of 9 Teen Listeners started in March of this year. They will go through the 12-week intensive training program before they graduate and officially work on the hotline in the Fall. As part of their training, the teens do weekly reflections about what they’ve learned and will give presentations at their school and in the community to other peers about mental health. These youth are leading the way and actively changing the narrative around mental health for themselves and those around them in their community.
To learn more about Teen Line, visit their website TeenLine.org.
