We are excited to share a video created by the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB) spotlighting YouthLine’s work in Warm Springs. Through YouthLine Native, we’re bringing culturally responsive support to Oregon’s Native communities.
Watch the video here.
NPAIHB works to eliminate health disparities and improve the quality of life of American Indians and Alaska Natives by supporting Northwest Tribes in their delivery of culturally appropriate, high-quality healthcare. Our partnership with NPAIHB reflects a shared commitment to weaving together community support networks that honor tribal traditions while providing accessible mental health resources.
Native youth face mental health challenges and suicide rates higher than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States due to historical trauma, ongoing marginalization, lack of access to culturally responsive care, loss of land, and forced assimilation.
In 2019, YouthLine began building a relationship with leaders of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs to ask: What would it take to bring peer-to-peer crisis support to Native youth in a way that honors who they are? This led to years of work within local tribal communities to understand cultural needs and remove barriers to mental health support and volunteering opportunities for Indigenous youth.
In 2022, YouthLine opened a youth development space in Warm Springs that provides mental health education, workforce development, and volunteering opportunities for local youth. YouthLine Native centers Native culture, arts, and traditional practices that have sustained their communities for generations. Weaving Native culture throughout the work helps to remind Native youth that their culture and traditions are strengths, not obstacles, in their mental health journey. When a Native young person in crisis calls YouthLine Native, they’re not just getting someone trained to help. They’re getting someone who understands their identity isn’t separate from their mental health. It’s central to it.
Today, YouthLine Native continues to train new volunteers and serve Indigenous youth ages 10 to 24 across Oregon and beyond. Native culture continues to guide the work in Warm Springs, and we remain committed to listening, learning, and showing up. We’re grateful to the tribal leaders in Warm Springs who embraced this partnership and invested years in helping us understand what Native youth need. We’re also grateful to our Native youth volunteers who show up for their shifts, answer difficult calls, and bring their culture, identity, and lived experience to this work. And finally, a big thank you to the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board for their continued partnership and for creating a beautiful video that highlights this important work.
How to Connect
If you’re a Native or Indigenous young person who needs support:
- Call: 877-968-8491
- Text: “teen2teen” to 839863
- Chat: theyouthline.org
Youth volunteers are available 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Pacific time every day. Adults are available by phone 24/7.
