Youthline to stay open 24/7 through Christmas

Holiday period “a difficult and challenging time for young people”

Youthline will be around to support Southlanders right through the Christmas period this year and the long days of summer that follow.

While many will be enjoying a break these holidays, the organisation’s free Help Line will remain open 24 hours a day and seven days a week, for anyone wanting to talk to an experienced counsellor.

Options for contacting the helpline include calling 0800 37 66 33,  free texting 234 or emailing  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

“Although Christmas and the summer months are meant to be filled with happiness and fun, they can often be a difficult and challenging time for young people.  So, holiday season or no holiday season, our helpline stays open,” says Youthline’s Southland coordinator Delia Riley.

“In addition to the usual issues facing youth,  the summer break can bring all the anxieties associated with the start of a new educational year, including, for many,  leaving home for the first time, with the transition to university or training institutes.

“Others will be starting work for the first time or, just as likely in the current economic climate, may be starting a long, hard and dispiriting search for employment.  In any of these situations, it’s easy to be overcome with worry and self-doubt,” she says.

Delia adds that many young people in rural Southland may feel isolated over the Christmas period, because they may not have their usual friends and support systems around them.  This sense of isolation can be compounded if there aren’t many others of the same age living locally.

“There can also be a lot of pressure on parents and extended families at this time of the year which, in turn, affects the wellbeing of young people in our community.”

“The great thing about Youthline is that young people can contact us anytime they want.  From crisis situations, to those just wanting someone to listen, we offer the chance to talk things through in a confidential, non-threatening way” she says.

For further information, please contact:

Delia Riley
Southland Co-ordinator
Youthline     
03 214 5238


Released by Ian Morrison, Matter of Fact Communications,
Tel: 09 575 3223, Fax: 09 575 3220, Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it