Kid's Help Phone
Kid’s Help Phone is a relatively well known hotline that offers immediate support to children and teens experiencing a crisis or who simply need guidance and support. Their website explains that the hot line is 24/7, and the counselors on the other end of the line will not tell you what to do, but rather will provide the caller with information in order to help them make their own decision. Any calls made are anonymous, and the language used on the site to encourage people to call if they need to is kid-friendly and non-threatening.
However, the Kid’s Help Phone website offers a lot more than just the phone number for their help line. In addition to their live chat feature, they have an ‘info booth’ tab which contains information on a wide range of topics including, but not limited to: LGBTQ issues, bullying, emotional health, violence and abuse, friendships, family issues, physical health, FNMI issues, and even have a whole section devoted to sexting. The pages contain a wide range of information that is presented in a non-judgemental way, and uses language that children and teens will understand (i.e. there is little, to no, medical jargon used). The site addresses these issues head one and doesn’t pretend they don’t exist, but rather provides readers with the accurate and accessible information they need in order to make informed decisions. It’s counteracting sites like Tumblr that have a history of romaticizing unhealthy habits such as eating disorders and self harm (although they have taken steps to discourage this type of behaviour on the site). At the same time as acknowledging the type of issues children and teens face, they provide information that is non-extremist. For example, the information provided doesn’t suggest that using drugs and alcohol one times means that your health is down the drains and you’ll end up turning to a life of crime. Instead, the site explains the continuum of alcohol and drug use and the potential side effects at each stage. In addition, the information regarding alcohol and drugs goes along with the suggestions made in the textbook for what makes a good alcohol and drug intervention program. The site promotes awareness and preventing alcohol or drug abuse, and in the ‘your space’ section children and teens can reach out to others who may be going through similar circumstances. However, instead of coming from teachers and being a potentially ‘uncool’ initiative to participate in, the site is anonymous and children and teens can look at it without the presence of their peers.
Another page that caught my eye was the page on healthy relationships. This can be a significant issue for teens who are experiencing a desire to be in a relationship for the first time and may not recognize unhealthy behaviours. It’s a similar approach to healthy relationships as the “That’s Not Cool” campaign which attempts to make information about healthy relationships accessible to youth. The video above is an example of a video for the campaign. Rather than speaking at teens about how they need to leave their partner if he/she is exhibiting abusive tendencies, it simply provides teens with what a healthy relationship means and looks like, and hopefully they will make a healthy decision. Both the Kid’s Help Phone site and the “That’s Not Cool” campaign attempt to directly disrupt the acceptance that abusive behaviours in a relationship are acceptable.
My one critique of the website is that there is no information on mental well-being. There’s a lot of information about what is means to not be mentally healthy, but very little information on how to successfully manage stress. This is an ongoing debate we’ve been having at school about promoting mental health since being mentally healthy is not only the absence of mental illness. Overall, though, Kids Help Phone online is a great resource for children and/or teens who are too embarrassed to ask their questions and are looking for more reliable information than their friends’ can provide. They can ask other children and teens in the ‘your space’ section of the site, browse for information in the ‘info booth’, browse other questions people have asked in the ‘asked online’ section, or get one-on-one, anonymous counselling either in the form of an online chat or a phone call.
However, the Kid’s Help Phone website offers a lot more than just the phone number for their help line. In addition to their live chat feature, they have an ‘info booth’ tab which contains information on a wide range of topics including, but not limited to: LGBTQ issues, bullying, emotional health, violence and abuse, friendships, family issues, physical health, FNMI issues, and even have a whole section devoted to sexting. The pages contain a wide range of information that is presented in a non-judgemental way, and uses language that children and teens will understand (i.e. there is little, to no, medical jargon used). The site addresses these issues head one and doesn’t pretend they don’t exist, but rather provides readers with the accurate and accessible information they need in order to make informed decisions. It’s counteracting sites like Tumblr that have a history of romaticizing unhealthy habits such as eating disorders and self harm (although they have taken steps to discourage this type of behaviour on the site). At the same time as acknowledging the type of issues children and teens face, they provide information that is non-extremist. For example, the information provided doesn’t suggest that using drugs and alcohol one times means that your health is down the drains and you’ll end up turning to a life of crime. Instead, the site explains the continuum of alcohol and drug use and the potential side effects at each stage. In addition, the information regarding alcohol and drugs goes along with the suggestions made in the textbook for what makes a good alcohol and drug intervention program. The site promotes awareness and preventing alcohol or drug abuse, and in the ‘your space’ section children and teens can reach out to others who may be going through similar circumstances. However, instead of coming from teachers and being a potentially ‘uncool’ initiative to participate in, the site is anonymous and children and teens can look at it without the presence of their peers.
Another page that caught my eye was the page on healthy relationships. This can be a significant issue for teens who are experiencing a desire to be in a relationship for the first time and may not recognize unhealthy behaviours. It’s a similar approach to healthy relationships as the “That’s Not Cool” campaign which attempts to make information about healthy relationships accessible to youth. The video above is an example of a video for the campaign. Rather than speaking at teens about how they need to leave their partner if he/she is exhibiting abusive tendencies, it simply provides teens with what a healthy relationship means and looks like, and hopefully they will make a healthy decision. Both the Kid’s Help Phone site and the “That’s Not Cool” campaign attempt to directly disrupt the acceptance that abusive behaviours in a relationship are acceptable.
My one critique of the website is that there is no information on mental well-being. There’s a lot of information about what is means to not be mentally healthy, but very little information on how to successfully manage stress. This is an ongoing debate we’ve been having at school about promoting mental health since being mentally healthy is not only the absence of mental illness. Overall, though, Kids Help Phone online is a great resource for children and/or teens who are too embarrassed to ask their questions and are looking for more reliable information than their friends’ can provide. They can ask other children and teens in the ‘your space’ section of the site, browse for information in the ‘info booth’, browse other questions people have asked in the ‘asked online’ section, or get one-on-one, anonymous counselling either in the form of an online chat or a phone call.
Comments
Post a Comment