Maui Youth & Family Services (MYFS) is partnering with YouthLine, a program of Lines for Life, to bring a youth peer-to-peer support and crisis hotline to Hawai‘i.
As self-harm and suicide rates continue to rise across the nation, and as they are the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-24, the organizations recognize the importance of providing preventative resources like crisis call centers. These are safe spaces where young people can talk, text, or chat with trained peers who truly understand what they’re going through.
“It’s really important that youth have a place at the table with programs that are being made for them,” said Ashley Tone, assistant director of YouthLine Education & Outreach of Hawaiʻi. “We believe in creating robust programs that not only support youth but are also informed directly by their thoughts and feelings.”
MYFS and YouthLine are collaborating on conducting focus groups throughout Maui that concentrate on understanding the emotional needs of Hawaiʻi’s youth.
Positive Change for the Whole Family
This partnership will further extend MYFS’s initiative to develop personalized plans focused on positive change to help the whole family thrive. Garnering data about youth needs, and working with YouthLine to provide direct services, MYFS hopes to continue to provide timely, current and relevant resources for youth in Maui County.
YouthLine is available by calling, texting, chatting online or by email:
Call: 877-968-8491
Text: ‘teen2teen’ to 839863
Chat: Online
Email: teen2teen@linesforlife.org
This partnership is supported by Maui United Way’s Sentry Mālama Nā Keiki Initiative.
