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Teen Line Teaches Empathy

Participants in Teen Line, a teen-to-teen crisis hotline, say it is an instrumental

resource and valuable experience for troubled teenagers and trained listeners alike.

Volunteers, all of whom are qualified listeners trained to deal with almost every type of situation callers present to them, answer the phone from 6 pm to 10 pm PST with, "Hi, this is Teen Line. What's going on tonight?"

Volunteers then establish rapport with their callers and listen to what they have to say, providing a non-judgemental safe space in which teens can talk about anything on their minds.



According to Teen Line's website, teenline.org, volunteers "listen to feelings and help to clarify concerns, define the options available, and help make positive decisions."

The unique aspect about the hotline is that the listeners are teenagers themselves; consequently, they are suited to understand and empathize with teenage callers. All problems - ranging from those that adults may pass off as insignificant all the way to more serious concerns such as suicide - are likely to be

understood by the listeners because they are teens

themselves and know that what callers are going through is difficult enough for them that they have chosen to call the helpline.

Teen Line receives nearly 10,000 calls, texts, and emails each year, and further

educates more than 38,000 youth who attend outreach presentations at schools and community spaces to learn about dealing with common problems that teenagers may face.

Teen Line has not only been helpful to the teens that call the hotline, but also to the teens that staff the telephone lines at the organization's

Cedars-Sinai based hotline room.

"Teen Line has been

instrumental in my emotional growth," Teen Line listener Lili Cairl expressed in an

interview with JSR. "I have learned the value of simply listening and experienced the incredible power of human connection."

She continued, "On the hotline, we develop a certain mindset when we pick up the phone. We put all our

judgments or preconceived notions aside, but remember one critical truth: although we know nothing about the callers yet, we know they need our help and we will do our best to give them empathy and guidance."

The premise of Teen Line is simple in concept. The

impact that this hotline has had on both the troubled teens seeking assistance from the hotline and the listeners that staff the lines, however, is immense. Through empathy and compassion, Teen Line demonstrates the incredible power of simply listening.

According to Cairl, "If more people carried this mentality when interacting with people in their everyday lives, our world would be a very different place."

Angela Yoo

Grade 10, North Hollywood High School


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