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Trevor Project Answers Growing Need
Trevor Project Answers Growing Need

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Trevor Project Answers Growing Need
As the United States and the world recognize National Suicide Prevention Week and World Suicide Prevention Day on Friday, some localities, including New York and West Hollywood, are also acknowledging Trevor Project Day to put the focus on suicide prevention among LGBTQ youths.
Founded in 1998, the Trevor Project is the leading accredited national organization dedicated to providing 24/7 assistance to help LGBTQ youths ages 18-24 in crisis. Each year the Trevor Project provides confidential counseling services to approximately 30,000 callers on its Lifeline as well as advocacy on the federal, state, and local levels to help change school policies and pass legislation such as the Safe Schools Improvement Act.
Other services include TrevorSpace, the social networking platform launched in 2008, which now has more than 10,000 members; Y-Care, a service for those with an interest in preventing youth suicide; and TrevorChat, which launched in August and already has hosted 250 conversations.
The new TrevorChat, where young people can sign in to talk with professionals and highly trained volunteers, is available Fridays from 4 p.m. to midnight in all U.S. time zones. Eventually, organizers hope it will expand to offer around-the-clock service like the Lifeline, which tends to draw older clients than the chat service.
"There are a lot of questioning conversations on TrevorChat," said Laura McGinnis, communications director for the Trevor Project. "People want to know about gender identity and how to react when they are challenged by revelations about a friend's sexuality. There is a younger skew to the chat service."