Silent No More

Life as teenager can be stressful and difficult, filled with angst, uncertainty and anxiety.

For many teens today on the East End, those fears and concerns can be amplified. Most teens stress about grades, romantic relationships, disagreements with their parents. But some also worry about whether there’s going to be a roof over their heads or enough food to eat. Others struggle with eating disorders and drugs. Some are victims of sexual assault. For still others, life has become so difficult that they may have contemplated suicide.

Until last year, local teens may have suffered in silence, not knowing how to reach out for help.

The Organización Latino Americana (OLA) of Eastern Long Island has aimed to change that. The Latino advocacy group last year began a bilingual crisis helpline, giving teens an outlet to talk about their problems with a trained counselor with a compassionate and sympathetic ear.

It’s an invaluable service, and looking at the numbers of teens who have utilized it, one that was long overdue. It has been embraced by local kids looking for help.

Minerva Perez, the organization’s executive director, noted that the program — which is available to all kids, Latino and non-Latino alike — is working, and is growing quickly.

In the past year, nearly 200 students have reached out for assistance through the helpline, and the numbers keep growing as the organization promotes the helpline in area schools, classroom by classroom.

The anonymous and confidential helpline is answered by nine trained crisis counselors in English and Spanish from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., daily.

The helpline grew out of a similar program during the pandemic, Project Hope, which was sponsored by New York State to help families impacted by the COVID crisis, which OLA administered locally.

The range of calls varies. Some kids want help with relationship advice, concerns over immigration issues, the loss of a loved one or just getting along with their parents. Other calls have focused on bullying, body image and overall depression or anxiety. In extreme cases, a handful of calls were about sexual assault, domestic violence and suicide.

Life on the East End, with its myriad tensions around housing, the cost of living and other everyday issues, can be difficult for even the most stable adult. But for kids still gaining life skills, it can be overwhelming.

Over the years, OLA has grown into an incredibly valuable resource for not only the growing Latino population but for the community as a whole. So it is heartening to see it step up to offer help and assistance to our most vulnerable population, one that represents our future. And a population that, thanks to OLA, need no longer suffer in silence.