Youth and Young Adults Resources
Nine out of Ten – a peer run suicide prevention program
1 in 10 college students contemplates suicide. That means nine out of ten students have the opportunity to help that one who is struggling. Inspired by this statistic, Nine out of Ten is an ambassador program that empowers college students to be a hopeful voice for suicide prevention and promote a mental health movement on campus. Through student-led innovation and a multitude of approaches, Nine out of Ten student ambassadors engage in year-round advocacy and awareness activities to spread the message of Nine out of Ten.
Jordan Porco Foundation created the Nine out of Ten program and website to educate students about the warning signs of suicide, available resources, and action steps to take if a friend is thinking about suicide. With this knowledge, students are empowered to be gatekeepersfor their peers and get them help if they’re struggling with their mental health.
Jordan Porco Foundation is a 501 (c)3 non profit, located in Hartford, CT was founded in 2011 by Ernie and Marisa Porco after they lost their son, Jordan, to suicide when he was a freshman in college. The mission of the Jordan Porco Foundation is to prevent suicide, promote mental health, and create a message of hope for young adults.
Website https://ambassadors.nineoutoften.org/
Bill Wilson Center's
Young Adult Support Hotline 1 (408) 850-6140
Bill Wilson Center's Transition Age Youth Mental Health Services provide immediate mental health services to young people ages
16 - 24 years old that may be experiencing a mental health crisis. The 24-hour Young Adult Support Hotline immediately connects youth in crisis to mental health specialists who are able to respond in person as long as the environment is safe for both the young person and the mobile outreach clinician. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Website Young Adult Support Hotline
California Coalition for Youth's
California Youth Crisis Line (CYCL) — 1-800-843-5200
California Youth Crisis Line (CYCL) is a statewide, toll-free, 24-hour, confidential Hotline available for youths ages 12 - 24, and families in crisis.
Website California Youth Crisis Line
The #chatsafe guidelines were originally developed and released in Australia by Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, in August 2018. The impact of the guidelines in Australia prompted a collaboration with the The Jed Foundation (JED) and the Stanford Psychiatry Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeingto collaborate with Orygen to adapt the guidelines for a U.S. audience. These guidelines are the first of their kind to be informed by evidence and were developed in partnership with young people.
#chatsafe is intended to support young people and can be useful for those who support young people, such as parents, educators and mental health professionals. The guidelines provide advice on how to:
- communicate on memorial posts,
- tips on appropriate language and images to use,
- how to share personal experience with suicidal behavior, and
- how to respond to someone who might be considering suicide.
The adapted guidelines also provide information and resources relevant to young people living in the U.S.
To download a printable PDF version of the #chatsafe: A young person's guide for communicating safely online about suicide for U.S. audience click on image below.
Website orygen.org.au/chatsafe
Santa Clara County Crisis Text Line text RENEW to 741741
Crisis Text Line is free, 24/7 support for those in crisis. Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the US to text with a trained Crisis Counselor. Crisis Text Line trains volunteers to support people in crisis.
Website www.crisistextline.org/
Directing Change Program & Film Contest
The Directing Change Program & Film Contest mission is to educate young people about critical health topics through the medium of film and promote social justice by changing conversations in schools and communities.
The Directing Change Program & Film Contest engages students and young people throughout California to learn about the topics of suicide prevention and mental health in an innovative way: a film contest.
The contest is part of Each Mind Matters: California's Mental Health Movement and statewide efforts to prevent suicide, reduce stigma and discrimination related to mental illness, and to promote the mental health and wellness of students. This demonstration initiative is funded by counties through the Mental Health Services Act (Prop 63) and administered by the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA), an organization of county governments working to improve mental health outcomes for individuals, families and communities. The program was created by and has been implemented since 2013 by Your Social Marketer, Inc.
To learn how Directing Change is impacting schools and young people in California, view their evaluation report "Directing Change Program & Film Contest: Prevention & Early Intervention Youth Engagement Program 2018 - 2019 Impact Report."
Scroll down to download entry forms and documents, or visit their Website.
Website www.directingchangeca.org/about/
Fresh Check Day, the signature program of the Jordan Porco Foundation, is an uplifting mental health promotion and suicide prevention event that includes interactive expo booths, peer-to-peer messaging, support of multiple campus departments and groups, free food, entertainment, and exciting prizes and giveaways. Fresh Check Day aims to create an approachable and hopeful atmosphere where students are encouraged to engage in dialogue about mental health and helps to build a bridge between students and the mental health resources available on campus, in the community, and nationally.
Website https://freshcheckday.com/
I'm ALIve
IMAlive is the world’s first crisis center where 100% of the volunteers are trained in crisis intervention. IMAlive is a live online network that uses instant messaging to respond to people in crisis. People need a safe place to go during moments of crisis and intense emotional pain. IMAlive is a program of Kristin Brooks Hope Center, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. In 2010, the Kristin Brooks Hope Center partnered with To Write Love on Her Arms, the QPR Institute and PostSecret to launch IMAlive.
Website https://www.imalive.org/
What began as a wildly successful social media campaign to provide hope and encouragement to young LGBTQ+ people has evolved into a major, multi-media platform capable of reaching millions of young people every year through inspiring media programming, a growing network of international affiliates, and access to an arsenal of community-based service providers.
Visit the Stories page where you'll be able to see the thousands of It Gets Better© videos shared, along with our original content series! You are not alone!
Website www.itgetsbetter.og/stories
Jasper's Game Day
Jasper’s Game Day started out as an idea between online influencer and content-creator, Satine Phoenix and high school sophomore, Fenway Jones. Jasper, the event’s namesake, lost his life to suicide at the young age of 16. He was Fenway’s tabletop gaming partner in crime. Jasper’s Game Day engages local game shops to raise money for suicide prevention and their local crisis centers.
In Conjunction with the American Association of Suicidology, has launched a new campaign aimed at gamers, and you can help! Download flyers below.
Website https://jaspersgameday.com/
JED Foundation
JED is a nonprofit that exists to protect emotional health and prevent suicide for our nation’s teens and young adults. JED’s programs are grounded in their Model for Comprehensive Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention for Colleges and Universities, developed in collaboration with SPRC.
Check out their programs including: JED Campus (jedcampus.org), Set to Go (settogo.org), ULifeline (ulifeline.org), Half of Us (halfofus.com), Love is Louder (loveislouder.com) and Seize the Awkward (seizetheawkward.org).
Website JED Foundation
Mental Health America San Francisco Peer-Run Warm Line
The Peer-Run Warm Line 1-855-845-7415 is a non-emergency resource for anyone in the Bay Area seeking emotional support. We provide assistance via phone and web chat on a nondiscriminatory basis to anyone in need. Some concerns callers share are challenges with interpersonal relationships, anxiety, panic, depression, finance, and alcohol and drug use. As of October 2019, proudly serving all of California!
Call: 1-855-845-7415
Chat: https://m2.icarol.com/ConsumerRegistration.aspx?org=60601&pid=243&cc=en-US
Website: www.mentalhealthsf.org/peer-run-warmline/
National Center for the Prevention of Youth Suicide
The American Association of Suicidology's National Center for the Prevention of Youth Suicide program believes that suicide can often be prevented. For example, many youth give warning signs if they are considered taking their lives, and intervening can save their lives. Other youth maybe kept from reaching the point of even thinking about suicide by individuals reaching out and showing them they care. Strong communities, safe schools, and supportive families all help the development of healthy youth. For youth struggling with mental illness and or substance abuse, effective services make a difference.
Website https://suicidology.org/national-center-for-the-prevention-of-youth-suicide/
National Runaway Safeline 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929)
The National Runaway Safeline gives help and hope to youth and their families by providing non-judgmental, confidential crisis intervention and local and national referrals. Confidential and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Website National Runaway Safeline (NRS)
Onyourmind
This local--for residents of the Bay Area, CA--live chat room is available Monday - Thursday 4:30 - 9:30 p.m. during the school year.
It provides a safe and anonymous place for teens to get information and support from other teens. You can talk about anything that’s on your mind, including relationships, school, depression, stress, suicide, friends, parents, cutting, identity, and health. You can also submit a question to be answered on the Q&A page, or connect to resources for additional information and support.
Website onyourmind.net
The Helpline Center is a non-profit agency in South Dakota dedicated to helping people, including those who identify LGBTQ. We are great listeners and can help to support you no matter the crisis24/7.
Website safespacesd.org
Ad Council Campaign Empowers Young Adults to ‘Seize the Awkward’ and Start the Conversation with Friends At Risk
January 17, 2018 – In a groundbreaking effort to empower teens and young adults to reach out to friends with mental health issues who may be at risk for suicide, the Ad Council has joined The Jed Foundation (JED), the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and Droga5 to launch Seize the Awkward, a national public service campaign.
Seize the Awkward encourages teens and young adults, particularly those ages 16-24, to create a safe space for their friends to open up about mental health challenges. The campaign personifies an awkward silence that can happen between friends before a conversation about mental health.
Website www.seizetheawkward.org/
Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide
The mission of the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide is to reduce the number of youth suicides and attempted suicides by encouraging public awareness through the development and promotion of educational training programs.
The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide was founded in 2005 by two friends who lost teenaged children to suicide.
Website www.sptsusa.org/
Teen Line 1-800-TLC-TEEN (852-8336)
TEEN LINE is a confidential hotline for teenagers which operates every evening from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00.p.m. PST and is toll-free from anywhere in California. If you have a problem or just want to talk with another teen who understands, then this is the right place for you! You can even text by texting “TEEN” to 839863. TEEN LINE also offers message boards, resources and information.
Website Teen Line
Trans Lifeline — 1-877-565-8860
Crisis hotline by and for the transgender community. Confidential and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Website Trans Lifeline
The Trevor Project's
Trevor Lifeline — 1-866-4U-TREVOR (488-7386)
A crisis intervention and suicide prevention phone service. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention service to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. Confidential and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Website Trevor Lifeline
Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program
We are members of communities across this country/world who are empowering people (of all ages) to raise awareness about and to prevent youth/teen suicide.
The program began in 1994 in response to heartfelt pleas from teens and adults after the death of a friend and loved one, Mike Emme (17).
Website https://yellowribbon.org/
You Matter
You Matter is a safe space for youth to discuss and share stories about mental health and wellness, created and administered by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You Matter blog posts are written by a rotating Blogger Council of individuals between the ages of 13-24 that are passionate about suicide prevention and mental health.
You Matter is a movement to spread the word that your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you—unique and real you—matter. And because just about everyone—at some point—hits the wall, we’re here to help.
The Lifeline network is proud to be a partner in and a leader of multiple initiatives to raise public awareness and further the field of suicide prevention.
Website https://youmatter.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
YourLifeYourVoice
YourLifeYourVoice.org is part of The Boys Town National Hotline®.
Teens are more connected than ever before and as they move towards new technology, the Boys Town National Hotline® is right there with them. Text messaging is a now available to teens who are uncomfortable making a phone call. This is in addition to the instant messaging or “online chat” that is already available to teens at yourlifeyourvoice.org.
Website YourLifeYourVoice
Youth Suicide Warning Signs
The information provided on this Website reflects a national consensus view on youth suicide warning signs as a result of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS), National Center for the Prevention of Youth Suicide (NCPYS), SAMHSA, and an expert panel that convened in August 2013.
Website Youth Suicide Warning Signs