News Release

Teen Line Panel Of Six High School Students To Address The Issue Of Teens And Tolerance

Meeting Announcement

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

LOS ANGELES (April 22, 1999) -- In the aftermath of Tuesday's school tragedy in Littleton, CO, America's focus is turning - once again - to identifying ways to prevent such occurrences. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's "Teen Line" program will present a panel of six high school students who will address the issue of teens and tolerance on Wednesday, April 28, at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills. The panel discussion is part of Teen Line's annual "Food for Thought" luncheon, which this year focuses on encouraging teens to cross socio-economic and ethnic boundaries as a means of enhancing understanding and reducing teen violence.

Sponsored by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Teen Line is a teen-to-teen hotline that is an integral part of the Juvenile Procedures School at the Police Academy in Los Angeles, and has become a model training program of teen suicide prevention/intervention with the Los Angeles Police Department.

According to Elaine Leader, Ph.D., Teen Line's Executive Director and a therapist specializing in adolescent psychology, tragedies like the one at Columbine High School often involve students who feel isolated or socially unsuccessful. "Students who perceive themselves as outsiders will often try to find someone in a similar social position and form a group. This provides them with a sense of belonging, but the tone of the group often reflects negative values or even violence. Gangs, for example, are formed in this way," says Dr. Leader.

Indeed, one of Wednesday's panelists will be a student who experienced feelings of isolation that led to his joining forces with an older student who invited him to become involved in breaking the law. Other panelists will include an interracial couple, bi-racial students and two students will share their experiences as volunteers at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, and in a community-based outreach of the Brotherhood/Sisterhood Camp.

Keynote speaker at "Crossing Boundaries: Teens and Tolerance" will be Dr. Terrence Roberts, who will draw from his personal experiences as one of the "Little Rock Nine," who attended Little Rock, Arkansas' Central High School in 1957 under the protection of the United States Army.

While most help lines are staffed by adult volunteers, Teen Line's telephones are answered by high school students who are trained to listen, to ask questions, and to help the caller work through troubling situations and find his or her own solutions.

Teen Line grew out of the practice of Dr. Leader, Dr. Terry Lipton, and others in the Department of Psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai. Says Dr. Leader, "One day we realized that clinically we're only reaching a small number of the young people who need help. "Most don't want to go to their parents or other adults for help. The one thing that they seem willing to do is talk to another teen." Working with Cedars-Sinai, she and the others developed the Teen Line program -- a current rotating staff of 90 trained volunteer teens to answer the telephones, and adult mental health professionals who volunteer to provide backup on each shift. Funding is provided by individual donations, corporate and foundation grants, and an annual fundraising luncheon. Cedars-Sinai provides the facilities for Teen Line, including the hotline phone center.

Teen Line has been phenomenally successful on two levels. First, it meets a need for callers. "The calls are fascinating," says Dr. Leader. "For instance, one of the teen magazines ran an article on suicide pacts. We got calls from all over the country after that issue hit the newsstands, including calls from teens involved in five separate pacts."

The second way the program succeeds is in the lives of the volunteers themselves. "Lots of the young people who started with us have gone on to give service to their community," says Leader. "Also, colleges look very favorably on a resume that includes volunteering here. It shows that the teens contribute to their community, and that they can communicate. It's good to know that the teens who work here are not only helping others, they're helping themselves, too."

In addition to offering the helpline, Teen Line has developed videos on eating disorders, teen pregnancy, and homosexuality. It produces a "Youth Yellow Pages" of help resources for teens, which is distributed through schools and health fairs, and Los Angeles Police Department offices. Teen Line also offers presentations, workshops and consultation to the community, and trains the Los Angeles Police Department on teen suicide prevention. In addition, Teen Line volunteers participate on various panels exploring the issues teens face.

Teen Line's helpline is open every night from 6-10 p.m. Pacific Time, and receives calls from teens across the nation. Teens seeking a sympathetic listening ear should call 1-800-TLC-TEEN (852-8336), or 310-855-HOPE (4673). Those interested in volunteering should call either of the hotlines, or the Teen Line office at 310-855-3401.

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AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS:
Dr. Elaine Leader, Executive Director of Teen Line

For media information and to arrange an interview, please call 1-800-396-1002. Please do not publish this number in stories.



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