Youth Help Line Expands In NWO
A resource for 2SLGBTQ young people is expanding its reach in northwestern Ontario.
Hayley Moody is a spokesperson with LGBT Youth Line, and explains they received a federal grant to train more volunteers to connect with youth who need a peer to talk to.
She says that is sure to include new volunteers from the north.
“We’ve got lots of callers and texters who are from northern Ontario, so it was very strange that we didn’t have anyone answering those calls and texts from northern Ontario,” she notes.
She explains that before the pandemic, all calls were answered from their office in the GTA, but they have switched to coordinating their volunteers remotely.
She says as the demand for their help line has grown more than 30% since the start of the pandemic.
“Having these resources in place is so incredibly important before the pandemic, and especially now during the pandemic,” she explains. “People need to be able to talk to their community and feel connected to community, to be able to talk to other youth who are experiencing similar things.”
Moody adds their latest group of volunteers will graduate their training soon, and the help line will be expanding further in the north by the summer.
