Lesson Plan: “We Are Here for You”

Most helplines are geared toward adults, but these teens are answering calls, chats, and texts when someone their own age needs to talk—and saving lives.

1. Why was Teen Link started? Teen Link was started by a mother whose daughter, too afraid to speak with an adult, was murdered by her abusive boyfriend. Her mother wanted to give teens a way to talk to other teens. 
2. How do the volunteers use active listening, and why is it important? Active listening makes the other person feel heard. Volunteers do it by validating the callers’ feelings. 
3. Why don’t the volunteers give advice, and what do they offer instead? People in crisis don’t need advice, they need sympathy, empathy, and understanding instead of solutions. 
4. What happens when volunteers can’t handle a call on their own? They summon an adult staff member who will listen in on the call and guide the volunteer.

1. Even though giving advice to people in crisis isn’t the best approach, most people often try to do that first. Why do you think that is? Possible answer: People want to help and feel like if they give advice, they can fix the problem for their friend. 
2. Trying to help a friend in crisis can be difficult. Write about a time you wanted to support a friend. How did you use—or could you have used—the tips from the article to handle the situation? Answers will vary. 
3. When supporting a friend, it’s important to know your limits and get support from an adult when you feel overwhelmed. Why do you think teens are reluctant to do that? Possible answer: Many teens don’t want to break their friend’s trust and get them into trouble, and they might think that adults don’t understand.