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These were the seeds and sparks of the Youth Line. This ignited passion in lesbian, gay, bi & trans youth, adults and our allies to commit to the dream of making a province-wide support service in Ontario – a service for youth by youth. This dream would turn into a reality.
But it wasn’t easy.
In 1993, there was a dire need to support youth who were dealing with questions and struggles because of their sexuality and gender identity. There were also some lesbian, gay, bi and trans youth who had found support and skills in big cities. It was these youth that first proposed the idea of a provincial peer-support phone line. It was these dynamic youth and their adult allies that had long conversations at kitchen tables, wrote letters, spoke at events, met with community leaders, worked, worked, worked – and barely slept!
The Youth Line has always been and will always be about people – mostly youth – working together, but in those early days there were some key individuals and agencies who championed the dream. There was the eloquence, energy and inspiration of Tim Guimond. There was the solidarity, resourcefulness and savvy of Olivia Chow. There was the stability and support of Pink Triangle Services and Pink Triangle Press. These are just a few of our first champions. People across Ontario came together to turn this dream into our reality. A year later, the Youth Line began operations on May 2nd and has its official launch party at El Convento Rico on May 10, 1994. In that first month, over 350 calls were answered but over 2000 youth got a busy signal when they called because there were only two phone lines.
Fifteen years later, we’ve had a few generations of champions, many fantastic executive directors and staff, hundreds of volunteers and thousands of supporters and donors.
No questions unspoken & unanswered. An end to isolation. Prevention of youth suicide. A ton of support. A stronger community. And a little bit of hope.
Some things don’t change.
In 2009, lesbian, gay, bi, trans, 2-Spirited, intersex, queer & questioning youth still need the services of the Youth Line. And youth still want to give back to their community, to listen to other youth, to be there when someone calls or wants to chat on-line; youth still appreciate being respected and challenged in an organization where they feel safe and where they can grow with the organization. We’ve been there for the youth of Ontario. We are here for youth of Ontario. And we’ll continue to be there for you in the years to come. We can’t do it alone. We can do it together. Maybe you will be our next champion.
