HOTLINES & RESOURCES - Don't wait to ask for help!
LGBTQIA+ Resources
Trevor Support Center
Crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ and questioning youth, available 24/7/365
Text the word “START” to 678-678 or call 1-866-488-7386
http://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help
Struggling? Get free, confidential support from a real human over the phone, text, or web chat.
https://bekind.findahelpline.com/
Provided by Born This Way Foundation Powered by Find A Helpline
College Guides for LGBTQ Students
http://www.bestcolleges.com/resources/lgbtq-student-guide/
LGBTQIA+ Friendly Drug Rehab Facilities
This is a list of drug and alcohol addiction treatment options that are LGBTQIA+ friendly. All data has been pulled from the Government Database Samhsa.gov and provided by Drug Rehab USA https://drugrehabus.org/rehabs/treatment/lgbtqa/
Transgender Resources
TransFamily Support Services TransFamily Support Services is compassionately dedicated to saving the lives of our Transgender and Gender Non Binary youth by empowering them with education, support, resources, and advocacy through their transition. Our vision is a world in which Transgender and Gender Non Binary youth are accepted, loved, honored, valued, and fully integrated into society. We make an immediate difference in the lives of our Trans Youth and their families by addressing their emotional, mental, and physical health care needs.
Trans Lifeline
Trans Lifeline provides trans peer support for our community that's been divested from police since day one. They are run by and for trans people. https://translifeline.org/
Trans Youth Equality Foundation
The Trans Youth Equality Foundation provides education, advocacy, and support for transgender and gender non-conforming children and youth and their families. https://transyouthequality.org/for-youth
PFLAG Transgender Resources
PFLAG offers many resources for LGBTQ Youth and their families including many Transgender specific resources.
https://pflag.org
Crisis and Suicide Resources
Crisis Text Line
Offers free, 24/7 emotional support for those in crisis
Text SUPPORT to 741-741 or http://www.crisistextline.org/ Struggling? Get free, confidential support from a real human over the phone, text, or via webchat
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
A 24-hour, toll-free, confidential suicide prevention hotline for anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress
Dial 988 for immediate support or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/help-yourself/youth/
National Runaway Safeline
Helps those impacted by child abuse by providing 24/7 confidential crisis counselor support in over 170 languages
Crisis intervention, information, and referrals to thousands of support services
Call:1-800-RUNAWAY (1-800-786-2929) or https://www.1800runaway.org/
National Sexual Assault Hotline
Trained professionals helping those impacted by sexual violence nationwide
Call:1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or https://www.rainn.org/get-help/national-sexual-assault-hotline
More info https://www.rainn.org/safety-students or https://www.rainn.org/news/grooming-know-warning-signs
National Domestic Violence Hotline
24/7 free, confidential support from highly trained experienced advocates offering support, crisis intervention information, and referral services Call:1-800-799-7233 or http://www.thehotline.org/help/
BIPOC Mental Health
Aakoma Project
AAKOMA believes that to meet the mental health needs of Youth of Color, we need to operate at three levels – raising consciousness among individuals, providing accessible tools for ongoing management, and shifting systems to receive youth and provide better care https://aakomaproject.org/youth-mental-health/
Black Trans Advocacy Coalition
They assist transgender people with the resources they need free of discrimination
Reach Out – They are available to you by Live Chat Support, Phone at 855-624-7715, &/or by appointment virtually or at their office. We’re Open 3 Days A Week Tuesday – Thursday 10 am – 6 pm CST https://blacktrans.org
Substance Abuse Help
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Provides help for those facing prescription drug misuse and abuse with intervention, prevention, treatment, and recovery support services Call:1-800-662-HELP (4357) prevention and treatment referrals http://www.samhsa.gov/find-help
Rehabspot
While substance abuse is dangerous for someone of any age, it is particularly risky for teens, whose bodies and minds have not yet developed. There are many health effects of teen substance abuse, most of which are negative. https://www.rehabspot.com/family/Health-Effects-Teen-Substance-Abuse/
Other Resources
Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline
Helps those impacted by child abuse by providing 24/7 confidential crisis counselor support in over 170 languages. Crisis intervention, information, and referrals to thousands of support services
Call:1-800-422-4453 or https://www.childhelphotline.org
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Dedicated to helping those affected by mental illness, trained professionals run the NAMI HelpLine Call:1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or Email info@nami.org or
https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Kids-Teens-and-Young-Adults/Teens
National Eating Disorders Association
Support for individuals and families affected by eating disorders Call:1-800-931-2237 or take this short screening for ages 13 and up can help determine if it's time to seek professional help http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/screening-tool
Planned Parenthood
Runs over 700 health centers and provides info on health, sex, and family planning Call:1-800-239-PLAN (7526) Answers to teens' sexual health questions: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/teens Chat online with a health educator: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/all-access/chat
CHC - Teen Therapy Services
Accessible. Affordable. Compassionate. https://www.chconline.org/clinicalservices/programs/teen-therapy-services/ Free 30-minute consultations, Teletherapy, Teen DBT skills groups, and Financial assistance are available. Teen therapy is critical in helping young people work through at-risk or clinical mental health issues that impact adolescents during a vulnerable time in their lives. It’s an opportunity to process emotional experiences, build strategies to cope with mental health challenges and with life, and fully develop into the thriving adults they were born to be.
National Human Trafficking Hotline
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, they're there to provide the support you need. https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en
EvolveMe
Prep for life after high school and earn rewards. https://evolveme.asa.org/
Cyber Bullying
The Bully Project
It’s easy to feel powerless or alone when faced with bullying. You can find there a lot of great tools and advice and help http://www.thebullyproject.com/tools_students
Sunshine Behavioral Health
Guide for dealing with Cyber Bullying:
- Hotlines For Help
- Cyber Bullying information
- Advice for Parents on Cyber Bullying
- Cyber Bullying and Mental Health
https://www.sunshinebehavioralhealth.com/resources/preventing-cyberbullying/
What Is Cyberbullying and How to Prevent It
Guide for dealing with Cyber Bullying:
- Hotlines For Help
- Signs of CyberBullying
- Tactics on how to deal with Cyber Bullying
https://www.cctvcameraworld.com/what-is-cyberbullying-and-how-to-prevent-it.html
Some Supporting Communities if you're 20 or older
Feeling Kinda Blue
Feelingkindablue.org is a social networking site established to serve those living with depression, anxiety, grief, emotional pain, and other mental illnesses. The mission is to reduce social isolation by making connections through experience sharing. Originally founded in St Louis, Missouri, members are able to share their everyday experiences, on good days and on bad. Members chat, create blogs, join groups, share artwork, music, and photos or sometimes they just observe. It's about connecting!
Trevor Space
TrevorSpace is a social networking site for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) youth under 25 and their friends and allies. This is under the umbrella of The Trevor Project.
Coalition to End Social Isolation & Loneliness
engages in education, increases public awareness, promotes innovative research, and spurs the development and implementation of evidence-based models that address social isolation/loneliness and social connection.
FAQ
What does Give Us The Floor do?
Give Us The Floor (GUTF) is a San Francisco-based non-profit organization. We help youth deal with distress all over the US through unique peer support groups that are hosted on our app (IOS and Android). Trained youth facilitate these confidential, anonymous, youth-only, Supportive Group Chats, and members help each other with common mental health and social issues such as depression, isolation, anxiety, identity, discrimination, bullying, relationships, domestic violence, and relationships.
Check our YouTube channel and our Instagram profile.
How do I earn Community Service hours?
Supportive Group Chat facilitators earn community service hours for the time spent moderating group chats.
What kind of youth struggles does Give Us The Floor address?
- Academic Pressure
- Anxiety
- Anxiety About the Future
- Body Image
- Bullying
- Consent
- Death / Anxiety about death
- Depression
- Discrimination
- Eating Disorders
- Gun violence / Mass shootings
- Health
- Identity, Gender
- Invasion of privacy by family members or other adults
- Issues with Family
- Life adversity
- Loneliness / Isolation
- Pressure (family, peers, society)
- Relationships (Love, friends, family)
- Self-Love / Self-Esteem
- Abuse (sexual, physical, verbal, emotional)
- Sexuality
- Substance Abuse
- Others (it’s a “By Teen - For Teen” community and we are open to any topic you would like to address)
SUPPORTIVE GROUP CHATS
What is a Supportive Group Chat?
Supportive group chats are safe adult-free spaces where youth vent, share their day-to-day difficulties, insight, shame, and pride. One or two youths in each group are trained as facilitators and help keep the group safe and foster conversation. Supportive group chats are a place where you might receive help one day and help others another day. Young people in these groups have a strong sense of not feeling alone. Participants are from all over the US.
The Community Rules are strictly enforced.
The Supportive Group Chats are on the Give Us The Floor app that you download to your phone. This app is safe and will protect your personal information.
How do I Join a Supportive Group Chat?
You can download the app HERE and sign-up
Do all the Supportive Group Chats talk about the same things?
Yes. When you sign up, you will let us know what topic you prefer to focus on. This doesn't mean your group talks only about that topic. The groups mainly discuss the day-to-day difficulties and accomplishments that the participants experience.
The main options that are offered to you are
- Mental Health
- LGBTQIA+
- Trans and Nonbinary
Participants are matched by focus, age and geographic diversity.
Requirements to join a Supportive Group Chat
- Only ages 13-19 are eligible to join (Soon 13 -24)
- You must have a valid US cell number
What is the commitment when joining a Supportive Group Chat?
None! There is no commitment in joining a Supportive Group Chat. You participate whenever you want and you can quit whenever you want. Nobody will resent you for leaving, however, it is considerate for you to notify the team at GUTF so that we can give your spot to another participant. However, we do not allow people to lurk. If you’re shown as inactive for more than 2 months, you’ll be removed to make space for other youth who wish to join. If you are being removed but want to join again, you are welcome to message us and we will add you back to your group or another one if you wish!
What is the process when I register?
Download the app HERE and sign-up
Please be patient! The team is doing its best to onboard everybody as fast as possible! Sometimes we have a lot of signups and do not have enough trained facilitators, so the process takes longer than everybody would like. The wait is very rarely longer than 10 days.
I registered, but haven’t heard from anyone at GUTF, what do I do?
The team tries it's hardest to onboard new members as soon as possible but sometimes, we have so much demand that it can take up to 10 days for us to find a good group for you. If you're concerned something went wrong, please email us at groups@giveusthefloor.org or DM us in the app and we’ll get back to you quickly. Please do not hesitate to reach out!
BEING A MEMBER OF A SUPPORTIVE GROUP CHAT
How will I benefit by belonging to the Give Us The Floor community?
Reasons to Get Involved
- You’ll belong to a community of like-minded peers
- You won’t feel alone anymore
- You’ll feel that you have people who have your back
- You’ll be able to express yourself freely, without being judged
- You can make a difference in the lives of other young people
- You can earn community service hours if you decide to become a facilitator. Learn more Here
Can anyone join the community?
Yes! But you must be between the ages of 13-19 (soon 13-24), have a US cell phone and agree to abide by the community rules.
Do I have to live in a specific geographical area to join?
Our services are limited to youthg living in the United States.
I want to join, but I feel nervous about joining a community with no one I know
No worries! It’s totally normal to feel that way! Most of the participants were also nervous on their first day. One of the things our participants really value about Give Us The Floor is anonymity. It helps to be able to share your struggles with people you don’t know in real life and won’t run into the next day.
If you’re still having anxiety about joining, please, email groups@giveusthefloor.org or DM us within the app to speak with one of our Adult Advisors about any concerns or questions you may have.
Once you're a member of a supportive group, the Adult Advisor team will be available for you if you feel awkward or not at ease in your group. Please do not hesitate to reach out! Email groups@giveusthefloor.org or DM in the app
Remember, GUTF is a very supportive community that respects our community rules. Partipants who are not aligned with our mission or who don’t abide by the community rules will be removed from Give Us The Floor.
BEING A FACILITATOR OF A SUPPORTIVE GROUP CHAT
What is the role of a facilitator?
The role of 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 team and the supportive group chat.
- Training to become a facilitator allows you to acquire communication and leadership skills that you will use your whole life.
- The volunteer position is a great addition to resumes and college applications.
- Each Facilitator earns up to 5 hrs of community service per month, provided all the duties listed below are fulfilled. The very active ones can even earn additional hours.
- A role of Senior Facilitator may be offered to the most engaged facilitators.
How do I apply to be a Supportive Group Chat facilitator?
You first need to spend a minimum of 2 weeks as an engaged and respectful participant in your group. After 2 weeks, you will be asked if you’re interested in being trained to become a facilitator. If yes, we’ll guide you through the steps. Remember, If you prefer to stay a participant, it is completely up to you! We want you to do what is best for you. If you do not receive the message, please email groups@giveusthefloor.org
What will happen once I have applied and what does the training look like?
The steps of training are:
1- You and one of your guardians need to sign an agreement online (if over 18, guardian's signature is not needed).
2- Online training: 10 Training video modules that you can watch at your own pace. You will be required to answer a mini-quiz at the end of each module and a longer quiz at the end. The training must be completed within 2 weeks and you need to pass the Final Quiz with 100% (You can take it as often as needed), in order to get to the next step.
The training will give you the tools you need to effectively facilitate a supportive group chat, including:
- How to navigate difficult conversations
- How to enforce Give Us The Floor's Community Rules
- How to spot a teen in crisis
- Tips for understanding your own leadership abilities
- Tips for self-care
3-The next step will be for you to participate in a “mock chat” group for two weeks: Mock chats groups are replicas of supportive group chats with other facilitators in training and at least one Adult Advisor. The goal of the mock chat is for you to apply what you learned in the training to real-life scenarios: you will practice different scenarios that can occur when you will be a facilitator. It will help you become more comfortable in your role as a facilitator.
4- You will have a video meeting with one Adult Advisor who will determine if you are ready to facilitate or co-facilitate a group or if you need to perfect your training.
What are the perks in becoming a facilitator?
- up to 5 hrs of community service per month, provided all duties are fulfilled.
- Master communication and leadership skills that you will use your whole life.
- The volunteer position is a great addition to resumes and college applications.
- Making a difference in the lives of your peers!
- 2 additional community service hours + a stipend of $45 per month if you graduate to the role of a Senior Facilitator
What are the commitments of a facilitator?
- Commit to 8 weeks minimum to facilitate a group
- Facilitate the chat a minimum of 6 days/week
- Fill out the monthly surveys that are sent to you
- Fill out the surveys you receive after being a facilitator for 1, 3, 6, and 12 months
- Respond to the adult team within 24 hours unless you previously notified them you would be on a break
- Report any inappropriate behavior within 3 hours of you seeing it
- Report any members who have left the group within 48 hours
- If unable to facilitate the chat and need a break, it is required to notify the adult advisor team at least 2 weeks ahead. The community service hours will be adjusted prorate to your time off. It can’t be more than 2 weeks in a row every 6 months.
- If you'd like to stop facilitating a group, a minimum of 2-week notice is required
I would love to help my peers, but I'm a bit afraid that I might not know how to act if something sensitive arises in my group.
Do not worry! You will be trained to deal with these exact kinds of issues. And any time something sensitive arises, you are required to share it with the Adult Advisor team so you're not alone in dealing with it and they can take it over if the situation can potentially be harmful to a participant! They are there for you.
What is the role of a Senior Facilitator?
A Senior Facilitator is a facilitator who helps out in supportive group chats as additional support. Senior facilitators must go through facilitator training and show they are active and responsible facilitators in order to be eligible to be a Senior Facilitator. A Senior Facilitator earns 2 additional hours of community service and a stipend of $45 per month.
How do I become a Senior Facilitator?
A Facilitator can become a Senior Facilitator after being an active and responsible facilitator, abiding by all the commitments of a facilitator for a minimum of 3 months. The decision is at the discretion of the Adult Advisor team.
Mandatory Report
Because GUTF is located in the State of California and serves a population of adolescents domestically any incident, regardless of location, must be reported to California CPS and/or California local law enforcement.
We care about the safety of our teen members at Give Us The Floor. It’s our priority to support you in staying safe and healthy and to do so in the least invasive way possible. We don’t want to intrude into your life, but in rare circumstances, we may need to take certain actions to ensure your safety and remain compliant with the law. In EXTREMELY rare cases, this means we may contact law enforcement, state authorities, or emergency services if your messages indicate that you are at imminent risk of death or serious injury (e.g., if you have suicidal desires, a plan, access to means, and an imminent timeline), or if we reasonably believe that disclosure is necessary to prevent a person’s death or serious injury. At that point, a trained member of our team might ask you for some personally identifiable information (such as where you are or what your name is). We understand that this can feel disruptive, and it won’t happen unless we think it’s absolutely necessary. We’ll try to work with you to come up with a safety plan before calling emergency services, if doing so would not increase the imminent risk. We’re not here to tell on you -- we’re here to do our best to support you and others in staying healthy and safe. We may attempt to locate you, but it may not always be possible.
If the content of your messages leads us to reasonably suspect that you are a victim of emotional/physical abuse or neglect and you are 17 years old or younger or a vulnerable dependent adult, we may ask you to verify certain Personally Identifiable Information (such as your date of birth, name, and address) to help us file any required report with an appropriate state authority. You are of course not required to share this information with us.
Resource: https://mandatedreporterca.com/about/faq
How do we ensure that Give Us The Floor is a safe place?
- Community Rules are strictly enforced and Give Us The Floor has zero tolerance for disrespect, racism, homophobia, or threats.
- Each participant is asked to report using the app reporting feature without waiting if something does not feel right or if a member does not respect the rules.
- We ask every participant not to share any personal information
- No 1:1 contact is allowed or possible
- We moderate comments on all our Social Media profiles with zero tolerance for disrespect and lack of tolerance
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to the adult supportive group team at groups@giveusthefloor.org. We are happy to provide you with any additional information!
Why does the app ask for a phone number from users at sign-up?
We need a phone number to ensure that the user is a real person and to be able to send the code to a user's phone to log in. We also use the phone number to assist if a member is in crisis or danger and help keep them safe. We do not sell our members' personal information.
Why does the app ask for a zip code from users at sign-up?
We try our best to group participants with others from different locations. We have heard a lot from our community that they love to hear perspectives from different places/backgrounds. We also use the zip code to help if a member is in crisis or danger and help keep them safe. We do not sell our members' personal information.
If you have other questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at info@giveusthefloor.org, we'll answer as fast as we can! Please check our Terms of services, privacy policy, Community Rules and contest rules
Why is Give Us The Floor's mission critical?
Learn here
Can adults, counselors or teachers get involved?
Yes! We’re always happy to have help from adults who are supportive of teens and believe in giving teens the floor to express themselves. Please email us at info@giveusthefloor.org and we’ll get back to you very quickly!
How can I contact the team?
If you’d like to contact the supportive group chat team: groups@giveusthefloor.org
If you’d like to contact other departments: info@giveusthefloor.org or go to the contact page
What is GUTF’s privacy policy? Check here
What are GUTF’s Community rules? Check here
What are GUTF’s Terms of Service? Check here
What are the GUTF Contest rules? Check here