Sometimes all you need to get through a challenging time is someone to listen. YouthLine Hawaiʻi offers just that. It’s a mental health hotline for young people ages 10 to 24.
“I think what makes it really special is on the other end of the line, when youth are reaching out for help, they're going to reach someone who is their age, or close to, and really the power and impact of connecting with someone who understands a little bit better,” said Ashley Tone, assistant director of outreach and education for Youthline.
Born and raised on Maui herself, she’s a lead for the initiative.
“I think for a lot of our folks that are calling in going through some of life's struggles, being able to talk to someone who's around their age, who validates them and says, ‘Yeah, that is tough’ and lets them know like, ‘Hey, it's so brave of you and courageous for you to reach out to ask for help,’” said Tone.
Youthline is open nationally, with a call center in Oregon — and now, for the first time, Hawaiʻi. It’s based on Maui, and when organizers first put out the call for youth volunteers, they were hoping for just four students. They were surprised when 12 youth responded from four Maui high schools. They have now completed an intensive training process.
Ayla is one of the volunteers.
“Youthline is a place where you can talk without being judged,” Ayla said. “You don't have to be in a crisis to reach out. ... Sometimes you just need to vent about a rough day and have someone really listen. Volunteering with Youthline lets you support other youth, build real skills, and be part of a community that genuinely cares about helping others.”
Tone said accessibility of mental health services is a challenge, especially after the Maui wildfires. Youthline seeks to change that.
“One of the great things about Youthline is we really try to reduce or eliminate the barriers to care,” she explained. “It's a free service. It doesn't require you to have insurance. It's also confidential, and our youth don't need their parental consent to reach out for help when they need help.”
There’s often stigma around mental health, and Tone said some families might view the topic in a different light.
“We all struggle,” she said. “We might just call it something different.”
Suicide is a leading cause of death among youth in Hawaiʻi, and teens face rising rates of anxiety and depression. On Maui, a University of Hawaiʻi study of fire survivors found that over half of keiki reported depression, and nearly half of kids ages 10 to 17 were experiencing PTSD.
Youthline also offers an option for rural areas like Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi, where mental health services are limited.
Along with the partnership of local organizations, Youthline is also supported by the state Department of Health.
“Say you're a young person, you're struggling,” said Keli Acquaro, DOH administrator for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division.
“You feel like you don't have anyone to talk to or anywhere to go. You don't know what to do. You go to this platform and you learn, ‘Oh, there's this youth line of other teens that I could text and talk to, somebody else that's my age.’”
Over fall break, volunteers went through a 65-hour training course, where they learned skills such as self-awareness, active listening and communication, along with certified courses like Youth Mental Health First Aid.
The Maui youth started working in the call center this week. They typically volunteer for a three-hour shift once a week.
“A lot of our volunteers have quite a bit on their plate, and the fact that they, you know, choose to commit time to support others — to me, they're all heroes in my book,” Tone said.
She said that, along with offering an ear for peers, volunteering allows youth a rare chance to gain experience in the behavioral health field.
There is clinical supervision and support at every shift, and if a conversation rises in acuity, a clinical lead can step in, Tone explained.
“We really believe our youth are super capable and have enough training and skills to take conversations even as they climb the ladder of acuity. But we feel like they shouldn't have to,” she explained.
When Hawaiʻi youth contact the line, it gets routed to the central hub in Oregon. They may or may not be connected with a Maui youth. Tone said cross-cultural training is also part of the program for volunteers in both Oregon and Hawaiʻi, to better meet people where they’re coming from. Confidentiality is important, so in a small community like Maui, if a volunteer might know the caller, the contact will be transferred.
The service also interfaces seamlessly with the 988 line for 24/7 service, even when youth aren’t manning the lines.
Though the line is new to Hawaiʻi, Youthline has served about 25,000 youth each year nationwide. Over the past three years, Youthline's national leadership has listened to community needs and met with partner organizations before launching the service.
To reach Youthline, call 877-968-8491 or text the message “teen2teen” to the number 839863. There's also an online chat feature. For more information, you can visit their website here.
HPR's Emma Caires contributed to this report.
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