These Teens All Ears for Troubled Peers

A Suicide Prevention Line Launches Ad Campaign

By Jillian Orlando, Globe Correspondent | January 30, 2005

The enormous ears showing up all over Boston are the Samariteens listening.

And reaching out. It's all part of a statewide advertising campaign by the Samariteens teen suicide prevention hotline, targeting the third leading cause of death among teens both here and nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The hotline was organized by Samaritans of Boston specifically for youths to be able to turn to their peers. Teens ages 16 and up volunteer as "befrienders" who offer their peers a compassionate, confidential, and non-judgmental place to call and talk.

"We just listen to how things are going at the moment for them, and hear them out," said Anna Summergrad, a 17-year-old who has been volunteering with the Samariteens for over a year.

The role of listener "is kind of difficult at times, but I know that I can discuss with people here how hard it is," she said. "We know we are doing something good which is rewarding."

After a particularly tough call, the teen volunteers can contact a "home leader," a volunteer who's been with the Samaritans for a long time, to share the stress.

Teenagers interviewed about volunteering said they stay motivated because they know how important their work is. "A lot of things are more important to teens than to adults, like relationships, school, and grades, things that could potentially make someone feel stressed out or depressed," said Pierre Ratzki, an 18-year-old from Boston who has been a befriender for a year and a half.

The posters of ears, which are the ears of real volunteers, have been appearing around the city and suburbs, at shopping malls including Copley Place, Prudential Center, and the Atrium, and at high schools. The hotline number is 800-252-TEEN.

"We have gotten a lot of free [advertising] space," said Kim Kates, director of program services at Samaritans, "which is great because I think if people realize what a huge problem teen suicide is, then they are more than willing to jump through hoops to help us."

Before they are assigned to take calls, volunteers receive the same 30 hours of training that Samaritans do, focusing on how to help just by listening; the kind of issues listeners will be dealing with; and appropriate ways to respond.

The Samaritans of Boston and Samariteens both offer open ears to callers, and "befriend" them confidentially.

Samarateens do not offer advice, trace calls, or take any kind of action without the caller's consent. They can offer basic suggestions, if immediate action is necessary to help the caller, such as to call a friend or ambulance if that seems necessary, but the caller is always the decision-maker.

"A lot of people mistake us for an advice hotline, which we aren't. We don't give advice. We just are here to listen and help them figure out what they are feeling," said Summergrad.

Some of the teens said they've found their training useful outside the Samariteens as well, when their friends come to them to talk about personal problems.

Teens are then expected to volunteer for one three-hour shift every week for at least nine months. "We always get a lot of positive feedback from the adults," said Kates. "They're so surprised that young people are so active because we have wonderful teens that are totally committed to this issue."

Though the teen line is marketed to teens, adult callers will call Samariteens if the adult lines are busy or if it's the only number they know. In these cases, the teens just use their training to help the adult caller.

"It's just taking on a little of their burden to have them feel a little bit better," said Summergrad.

© Copyright 2005 Globe Newspaper Company.