Y-Line helps youth deal with problems through peers

For young people who feel they have nowhere to turn, help may be just a phone call away.

The Y-Line is a teen-to-teen help line and referral service, providing a sympathetic ear for youth who may not feel comfortable talking with a parent or other adult.

"It's there for them to be able to express themselves anonymously, without fear of reprisal," said Justin Schwartz, youth marketing coordinator and job developer for Ozarks Area Com-munity Action Corporation Youth Ser-vices.

Operated by OACAC, the Y-Line, 417-864-0999, is available 4-10 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Y-Line was funded by a grant through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Schwartz said, but if a partner for the program is not found by the beginning of June, it will be dissolved.

"We're trying to get the word out," he said. "Hopefully some other organization will be interested in taking it over."

The Y-Line allows youth with problems to talk to someone their own age. "Basically, the whole philosophy behind it is, teens would rather talk to other people their own age than to adults," said Lisa Petachi, OACAC Youth Services assistant director and author of the Y-Line grant. "They just want somebody to listen to them, a listening ear on the other end of the phone that understands what they're going through."

The anonymous line can be a resource for students and possibly help to curtail the threat of school violence, Schwartz said. "What we're trying to do here is get some of these issues and problems be-fore they get to that kind of extreme."

Variety of problems

Young people are dealing with all kinds of problems, he said. "Child abuse, spousal abuse these are things that kids deal with on a day-to-day basis."

Carrie Gerling, call center operator, said that most calls deal with social issues. "They're having problems with their friends or boyfriends, or they're having trouble communicating with their parents."

Some problems are more extreme, such as someone contemplating suicide, Schwartz said, but any kind of problem is treated with genuine concern.

For young people, "all problems are big problems," he said. "If they're not sure where to go, or don't know how to handle the situation, we try to give them a little bit of direction."

The young people answering the phones don't offer counseling or therapy, he added. "It's more of a listening ear and a referral service." If a young person calls with a problem or issue that needs to be dealt with, the call center operators can direct the caller to an agency that can help.

Sometimes just listening can help the person calm down, Gerling said. "We can get them from thinking erratically to being able to talk to someone without getting hysterical."

When Petachi came up with the idea for writing the grant, she was trying to think of a creative, innovative way that teenagers could help other teenagers.

"I thought, if you could get some teens that have had a hard time but could use their experience of getting through those hard times, they would be good peer role models," she said. "Not because they had the perfect life, but because they've been through tough times and it made them stronger."

Gerling said her own life experiences have enabled her to help a lot of other young people. "I've been through what they're going through," she said. "I can help build their confidence by letting them know everything's going to work out OK."

Training

The youth who staff the phones have gone through the GED program run by OACAC Youth Services and are participating in the work experience program.

"They go through training where they learn work-readiness skills and social skills, and receive training in call center operations," Petachi said.

This includes learning how to deal with someone in crisis or someone who is depressed.

An adult supervisor oversees the Y-Line, so if there's a problem or issue he feels he needs to handle, he will step in and speak with the caller. "The adult can take over at any time," Petachi said, "but usually he doesn't have to."

The Y-Line receives about 130 calls a month, but Schwartz believes it is only the tip of the iceberg. "If kids knew we were open as a resource available to them, they'd use it a lot more."

To get the word out, banners with the Y-Line phone number will be displayed in area high schools and middle schools. Commercials on WB and billboards do-nated by Lamar Advertising also are helping to make the Y-Line's presence known.

"We're on a very limited budget," Schwartz said. "We really have to de-pend and rely on the generosity of businesses here in the Springfield area."

Those who are helping, he said, realize that all young people can benefit from the resource. "These are all of our kids. These issues are not contained to low-income or single-parent families," he said.

"These are kids that come from every neighborhood and every walk of life. They all have issues and problems that they deal with."