Youthline says its support teams need to learn more about cultural competency for working with gay and transgender young people, as it receives increasing calls for advice on sexuality and gender identity. It says Kiwi youth are seeking more advice on sexual orientation and transgender issues now than they were 20 years ago. “One trend we have highlighted for 2015 is a significant increase in issues related to self-harm and immediate risk of harm from suicide. Our support teams are also needing to learn more about cultural competency for working with gay and transgender young people,” says the help services's CEO Stephen Bell. “It’s important we know how to help, because those who are not supported in the way they need to be are significantly more likely to have issues with self-esteem, being accepted, peer pressure, suicide, eating disorders, drugs, sexual abuse, spirituality and gender.” Youthline received 80,085 contacts from young people seeking support for a variety of issues in 2014-15, with an 91 per cent of those coming to the helpline via text message. Bell says youth using texts to communicate with the service has increased as it has become commonplace for teenagers to have mobile phones, and because it helps break down the biggest barrier to seeking help. “Many different barriers have been identified including financial, lack of youth-friendly health services, concerns over privacy and confidentiality, and transportation, but over the years in our regular surveys we have consistently seen that the biggest barrier is embarrassment. Texting has certainly made it a lot easier for marginalised communities to reach out,” he says.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 7th July 2015 - 7:13pm