Giving back
Crisis Text Line provides mental health support for youth during lockdown
Aug 10, 2020
For the last 30 years, Kids Help Phone has been Canada’s only 24/7 nationwide service offering professional counselling, information, referrals and volunteer-led text-based support for young people. They are transformational in the e-mental health space and last year alone, provided support over 1.9 million times. With the help of licensed counsellors and volunteers, the organization receives over 1500 calls, chats and texts from youth across the country daily, including on average 10 active rescues in relation to suicide.
As COVID-19 lockdowns came into effect, the organization saw a significant increase in requests for its services, with 40% of inquiries related to the health crisis and the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic. Through a grant from the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, Kids Help Phone has been able to provide youth with access to more resources through the Crisis Text Line, specifically in the Edmonton area. With this grant, over 70 Volunteer Crisis Responders in Alberta, adding to the thousands of others that answered the call for volunteers in early March. With the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation’s support, they are able to help more young people than ever before and stay connected to those who need it most.
“Working with youth means we need to keep up with ever-changing technology"
- Alisa Simon
“Kids Help Phone has a track record of creating innovative services and delivering them in novel ways to meet the needs of young people. With the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation’s support, we can continue to shape service delivery and ensure youth are receiving the most effective, timely interventions possible. Donors like you are some of the most caring and generous folks in Canada.”
In a recent episode of the
TELUS Talks with Tamara Taggart
podcast, Simon highlighted the need for support as registered charities, due to COVID-19, are unable to undertake their typical fundraising activities.Through this grant from the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, Kids Help Phone’s team of professional counsellors and volunteer crisis responders can continue to help youth in this extraordinary time of need.
