You will earn up to 5 hours of community service for each month of facilitating a Supportive Group Chat on Snapchat.
In order to become a Facilitator, you will go through a training that will give you communication and leadership skills that you will use your whole life
This volunteer position looks great on resumes and for college applications.

If you have not yet signed-up to become a facilitator but want to, email groups@giveusthefloor.org

FACILITATOR: YOUR ROLE

A reminder: Supportive group chats are teen-only groups that share their day to day difficulties, insight, shame and pride. It is a supportive group of youth where you can be helped one day, and help another the same day or another day. Teens in these groups have a strong sense of not feeling alone. It’s a trusted place to vent and ask for advice. Participants are from all over the US

Your role as a Facilitator is to support and encourage genuine conversation, to uphold the comfort and safety guidelines within the group, and to be a liaison between the GUTF adult team and your group.

The groups talk mainly about the day-to-day difficulties that the members experience

Here are some of the questions the groups are discussing right now that will help you lead the conversation around our current focus.

Remember: You’re not alone! Share your thoughts and experiences with us and watch what other teens are going through on our Instagram & YouTube

  • Who or what gives you hope when you feel alone or depressed? How does it help?
  • Have you ever felt a deeper pain than just sadness… a depression that didn’t just go away after time? 
    • What did it feel like?
    • Could you talk to anyone about it?
    • Who?
    • How did they help - did they give you any advice or do anything for you?
    • Do you still deal with these feelings? If so, how do you push through it or can you?
  • Have you ever had drugs or alcohol negatively affect a friendship?
    • How did it feel for you?
    • How did that person change?
    • Did you reach out to them? If not, why not? Did you feel like you could?
    • What is your relationship like with that person today?
  • What would you say to a friend if they came to you and said they were suicidal?
    • Are there any adults that you could turn to for help?
    • What would you say to them?
    • How would you support your friend as they were getting help?
    • Have you ever lost anyone to suicide?
    • Who?
    • How did their loss make you feel?
    • What do you do to honor their memory?
    • Did their loss change how you view the world and treat others? How?
  • Have you personally dealt with substance abuse, addictions, or other compulsive behaviors like cutting or eating disorders?
    • Were you able to get help?  
    • If so, how and from whom?
    • Do you still struggle today?
    • How do you get through it day-to-day?
  • Do you feel like adults don’t take teen mental health issues seriously?
    • Why/why not?
  • What changes would you like to see in how the world treats teens with mental health issues?
  • What would you say to your parents/guardians if you were having a mental health crisis rather than “just” feeling sad or down? How would you communicate that it was an emergency?
  • Where or who could you go to if you were having a mental health crisis at school?
    • What services would you like to see your school provide?
  • Do you think we could avoid escalated police violence if more mental health services were available? Why/why not?
  • What gives you hope for this coming year?

FACILITATOR: YOUR COMMITMENTS

  • Pre-training:
    • Be a participant in a Supportive Group Chat for two weeks
    • Sign a facilitator agreement (and get your parent/guardian to sign it if you are under 18)
  • Training:
    • 1st: online training, self-paced with quizzes
    • 2-week mock chat with other facilitators in training
    • One 30 minutes follow-up online training
  • Ongoing:
    • Commit to facilitate a group for a minimum of 8 weeks
    • Facilitate chat daily (at least 6 days/week)
    • Complete monthly surveys and surveys at 1,3,6, and 12 months of being a facilitator

Not sure you want to be a facilitator? No rush! Participate in a group first to see what it’s like and you’ll decide. Anyway, we require that any person who wants to become a facilitator actively participate in a group for at least 2 weeks. You can always choose to just stay a participant!

REMINDER: RULES WE HONOR

-CONFIDENTIALITY

    • Whatever is said in the chat stays there. We do not gossip.
    • No screenshots/screen recording - Facilitators will take screenshots when a rule has been broken
    • No saving chat unless agreed with the group
  • SAFETY
    • We can talk casually and freely. We respect each other's values
    • Groups are not used for dating or romance
    • There is no tolerance for bullying or harassment.
    • No in real-life friends in the group so you can feel free to talk about what is going on without it coming back to you from friends
  • OPENNESS
    • Remain open to others, respect their ideas, opinions
    • Agree to Disagree: Your opinions are yours, no one else's. Members can’t always agree, remaining respectful and kind are critical to the safety and comfort of group members
    • Use preferred pronouns (bitmojis/names may not be indicative of a person’s preferred pronouns.)
    • If you are uncomfortable with a topic that is being discussed such as drug, sex, etc. It is totally okay to speak up and ask for what you need in the group
  • EMPATHY
    • Try to understand where someone is coming from. Be kind and respectful
  • OKAY TO PASS
    • We always have the right to pass. No one forces anyone to express yourself. Do what's best for you as an individual.

It’s great that you are interested in supporting yourself and your peers. We look forward to working with you!

Don’t hesitate to contact on Snapchat @GUTFgroups or email at groups@giveusthefloor.org with any questions you have!