youthspace.ca : Our Philosophy and Volunteers
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Canadian youth.
The NEED Crisis and Information Line has operated
a volunteer staffed, 24-hour crisis line in Victoria for 30 years.
We know that youth feel more comfortable confiding in their peers
during times of stress. Since 1996, NEED has
been educating youth about how to recognize signals of suicide
and how to get help for a friend in crisis. NEED has
developed a youth driven, peer support web-site.
At the core of NEED's philosophy of help is respect for chatters' rights to be heard and make their own choices. They
have the right to be understood and accepted as unique individuals.
We believe people have the inner resources to make the best decisions
once their issues and feelings are fully heard. This philosophy
also includes being non-judgmental and accepting people from
different backgrounds and life choices. Problem solving is not
necessarily a goal and we do not give advice. We will help chatters plan for heathy choices.
We look for volunteers who have basic helping qualities, compatible
with our philosophy, along with genuine warmth and caring for
others. We need people who are willing and able to share their
own feelings, give support to others and reach out for support
when needed. Volunteers do not need to have any pervious
experience with helping peers, just a willingess to hear, understand,
and learn.
Our volunteers are youth, ages 17-19, who want to make a difference.
They come from many different educational, cultural, and experiential
backgrounds. Volunteers want to give their time because they
want to give back to the community, or are interested in developing
their communication skills and growing as individuals. |
