Youthline national expansion - demand continues to grow for clinically appropriate peer-delivered youth behavioral health support

Lines for life continues to meet the mental health needs of youth ages 10-24 by offering peer-to-peer youth crisis support and youth development through youthline. Youthline national expansion will improve access to mental healthcare for youth across the U.S. Through capacity expansion, engaging youth from underserved communities in oregon, and by raising national awareness of the youthline help, support, and crisis line. Youth suicide continues to be a crisis in the united states. From 2007 to 2021, suicide rates among youth ages 10-24 increased by almost 40%; 22% of high school students report seriously considering suicide. Mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, social isolation, and stress are most prevalent, with almost 50% of adolescents experiencing some level of distress. There is an urgent need for continuous support and action. Engaging youth in this work offers relatable support to struggling young people, decreases stigma, normalizes help seeking, and allows them to quickly get resources they deserve at school, at home, and in their community. Youthline has supported youth mental health in oregon and nationwide for 25 years. Annually, over 200 volunteers, ages 15-24, receive extensive training and mentoring throughout their volunteer experience at youthline. Our classroom and community education are well-established and connects with over 15,000 youth annually. In 2023, youthline's peer-to-peer crisis line connected with over 24,000 youth - more than doubling contacts over the last 5 years. This growth demonstrates the need to elevate youthline's national presence to directly address barriers to accessing mental health support, facilitate workforce development for the behavioral health field, and address the mental health crisis facing youth in america. Our request of $1,162,238 will support the following youthline national expansion initiatives: • hire additional FTE to expand youthline service hours by 30%, where youth and young adult interns and staff are available as peer-to-peer responders for other youth. • increase the capacity of our satellite teams in oregon including central oregon, east portland, and warm springs, with a focus on supporting marginalized and distanced youth. • promote and destigmatize mental health and mental health resources via print materials, social media, and targeted google ADS to youth, schools, and youth-serving organizations in oregon and across the united states. • recruit, train, and mentor additional volunteers, including through our existing work study program to build diversity among volunteers and improve service delivery for youth. • provide mini-grants to oregon schools for the implementation of tailored, localized suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention programming. • explore new site locations, conduct readiness assessments, and develop scalable systems and infrastructure. Performance measurements include: youthline contact data; volunteer feedback to measure satisfaction, knowledge, and growth to determine effectiveness of the youth development program; classroom surveys to determine effectiveness of outreach; and quantity, reach, and location to determine the success of information dissemination strategies. Through these continued bold efforts, we hope to engage with over 150,000 youth via classroom education, community outreach, and through each youthline call center.