BOSTON — Feeling lonely — overwhelmed — or being bullied? Those feelings are familiar to many teens and young adults. Recognizing a growing need for support, a suicide prevention service in Massachusetts created a texting hotline for that specific age group — and already it reached it’s 10,000 conversation.
Teens and young adults are constantly on their phones — mostly communicating through text and social media.
“We’re meeting them where they are in the way they want to connect and they’re connecting with other young people,” said Kathy Marchi, the Chief Executive Officer and President of Samaritans, Inc.
Samaritans, Inc. a suicide prevention program. It’s been around for 50 years with the mission of supporting people. But three years ago, a texting platform called “Hey Sam” was created specifically for those needing help under the age of 25.
“The need is kind of a post-pandemic thing, right, you know, knowing that kids were really needing to connect and really kind of missing that social connection, too, and struggling a lot, which we’re still seeing,” said Marchi.
Over 300 trained volunteers are available from 9 a.m. to midnight — taking conversations from teens all over the country texting 439-726.
“This allows them a way to connect that is private, quiet, kind of from anywhere,” said Marchi. “It can be a school bus, it can be in school, it can be on the way to a game or a practice, it can be at home with family around.”
“I struggled for a really long time and I was young and I didn’t have that,” said Talia, a Hey Sam volunteer. “I didn’t have someone there for me. I didn’t feel like I was supported.”
Now a college student, Talia is a trained Hey Sam volunteer who is on the other side of the text conversation — helping those feeling lonely, struggling with relationships, or being bullied.
“For Hey Sam, you don’t have to be in any type of crisis or suicidal ideation,” said Talia. “You don’t need to have that to reach out. You can have any reason. And I know we have some people who just like to talk and like they just need someone there for them.”
The anonymous support from the volunteers offers care and compassion in a non-judgmental way — allowing the teen to open up as much as they’re comfortable with.
“So we can open up and share without perhaps feeling like, geez, you know, the look on that person’s face or the tone in their voice tells me they’re not ok with what I’m sharing,” said Marchi.
The goal is to let them know they are not alone. And the most rewarding part for Talia is when someone texts “thank you” for having someone to talk to.
“That seems like just one sentence, but it’s one sentence that could have saved someone’s life, you know?” said Talia. “Maybe they have no risk to be at a high suicidal ideation, but they could have gotten to that place if they didn’t have someone there. And that is a really scary feeling to have as a teen.”
Hey Sam volunteers and staff are working with shift supervisors to make sure the texter is safe and if authorities need to be called — it is handled appropriately.
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