A MOST SPECIAL FRIENDS WITH CAUSES

ALL FRIENDS WITH CAUSES DINNERS AT ALEXANDRA DWEK'S HOUSE ARE SPECIAL, BUT THE ONE FOR CEDARS-SINAI TEEN LINE HAD SOMETHING EXTRA

                   Caroline Kunitz, Dana Pachulski, Julie Jaffe, Alexandra, Leslie Birnbaum


Teen Line is a hot line for troubled teens all over the U.S. that is manned by teens! That way, the teens calling feel more comfortable talking about their problems with peers. These teens at Cedars go through extensive training programs plus supervised training sessions. They aren't even allowed to answer the phones once their training is completed. First they are on "text duty," answering texts, rather than telephones.

Teens who need help with a problem or serious decision can pick up the phone and speak with someone his or her own age who is trained to deal with the unexpected. Teen Line provides crisis intervention and prevention, peer counseling and referral specifically for children and adolescents ages 12 to 19.

Cairo (Dwek) and Sienna

Jaye Rogovin and Beth Freidman

                                                Alexandra, Susan Abram, Lindsay Elliot


The teen-to-teen program also helps young people cope in times of trauma and stress and offers advice and referrals when needed. Teen Line's extensive outreach service provides presentations to schools, youth groups and adolescent-serving agencies. Specialized workshops are given on such issues as teen suicide, teens and tolerance and growing up gay.

In addition, Teen Line is also an important part of the Juvenile Procedures School at the Los Angeles Police Academy. The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District police also use Teen Line's teen suicide prevention and intervention training.
The hotline is open from 6 to 10 p.m. daily Pacific Standard Time and receives calls from teens across the nation.

                                              Marlo Gottfurcht Longstreet,  Kira Cooper

At this event, a young lady named Alexa, daughter of one of Alexandra's friends, is a Teen Line volunteer. She is on "text duty," and she told a moving story about how she literally saved a young boy's life by stopping his suicide. Wow!  

Alexa

US

Donna Antebi and Cheryl Woodcock

Christine Chui