Law firm gift gives texting to Youthline

Youthline is finally entering the youth world of texting, thanks to a law firm.

A $25,000 donation from lawyers Simpson Grierson will allow Youthline to carry the cost of accepting texts from cellphones on a tollfree number, 0274 YOUTHS. The firm is one of 80 companies profiled on a new website launched today, CorporateCitizens, offering links to potential corporate sponsors for community groups.

The website is an extension of existing services run by the Funding Information Service, FundView, which lists trusts and other non-profit funding bodies, and BreakOut, which lists scholarships and grants for individuals.

Like the other two services, CorporateCitizens lists the kind of projects each company sponsors. In Simpson Grierson's case, it chose Youthline's new texting service to demonstrate the firm's "technology leadership" and to mark its role as Telecom's chief legal advisers.

Youthline spokesman Stephen Bell said young people had never been able to ring Youthline's tollfree 0800 helpline from cellphones because of the cost.

"We can't afford to have them ringing the 0800 number on a cellphone. It just blows it totally out of the planet," he said.

"This relationship with Simpson Grierson has enabled another portal, another doorway, to open. It's just another way of entering a young person's world."

He expects that Youthline volunteers will be able to reply to most text messages by texting back advice or information about local help services, but in perhaps 2 or 3 per cent of cases they will ring the texter.

"If they are really in crisis, we'll ring them," he said.

Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline remains Youthline's major sponsor, paying $60,000 to $70,000 a year for its 0800 number. Their chief executive also sits on the Youthline board and their accountant volunteers as Youthline's treasurer.

"A lot of these things can be much more than the actual money. It's the mentoring and a long-term partnership," Mr Bell said.

At present, Youthline cannot answer all the calls it receives, and does not operate between midnight and 8am, because of a lack of money.

But the Government is trialling a new combined freephone service for people in Rotorua and Tauranga which does accept calls from cellphones on 0800 211-211. Calls are switched through to appropriate services, including Youthline, Lifeline and other agencies for ethnic groups, old people, mental health patients and others.

Mr Bell said the experiment was receiving about 50 calls a day.

Youthline contacts

By landline: 0800 376-633
By email: talk@youthline.co.nz
By text: 0274 YOUTHS (0274 968-847)