Another year of funding for the Youth Helpline by the LPP Foundation
The LPP Foundation continues to support the Youth Helpline, a nationwide project initiated by the ITAKA Foundation and the Reserved brand. Further funding will enable an even more effective response to the growing mental health needs of young people and provide them with assistance in their everyday problems. Thanks to the funds allocated to the initiative by the LPP Foundation, young people have access to a wide range of specialists who support them through a helpline and online consultations.
The Youth Helpline is a line created in 2021 by the ITAKA Foundation and Reserved, a brand belonging to the LPP portfolio. The project was created for people seeking mental health support who want to talk about their problems. In 2023, the LPP Foundation joined the initiative, actively engaging in numerous projects for mental health and equal opportunities. Its funding of the Youth Helpline has opened up many new opportunities for the campaign. In addition to psychological support, young people who call the helpline can now seek help from experts in other fields, such as a sexologist, an eating disorder specialist or a lawyer.
Those in need can choose between telephone and online consultations. The former is often more comfortable for many young people. This is because persons under the age of 18 do not need parental consent to obtain specialist advice by telephone, which guarantees them complete anonymity during the conversation.
– Our experience shows that young people today often feel that they have no one to talk to. They are ashamed to talk about their worries, afraid of being judged by others and do not trust adults. That is why it is so important for young people to have access to reliable, professional and, above all, safe help, including remote assistance – says Patrycja Zbytniewska, president of the LPP Foundation. – We see the enormous scale of mental health problems among the younger generation. According to UNICEF, nearly 13% of teenagers worldwide live with diagnosed mental health disorders, which means over 11 million people in the EU alone. By financing the Youth Helpline, we want to make a real contribution to changing reality for the better. This is an investment not only in the future, but also in the present of those who need it most today – explains the president of the LPP Foundation.
Since the launch of the Youth Helpline, experts have already conducted almost 25,000 conversations with people aged 15-25. The number of consultations shows how much children and young people today need a comfortable space to talk and share their concerns.
– On the one hand, it is with great concern that we are following the statistics showing the scale of the Youth Helpline’s activities. This is a sign that the mental health crisis among the younger generation is still a pressing issue. On the other hand, we proudly remember the moment when we launched this project at Reserved together with the ITAKA Foundation. The growing number of young people using the consultations clearly shows that there is still a need for specialist help in today’s difficult environment. As the brand that started it all, we are delighted to support the development of this initiative – says Anna Matraszek, PR & Digital Manager Reserved.
Young people reach out with a wide range of issues, from emotional crises and family problems to difficulties at school and questions about sexuality and mental health. In order to ensure their maximum comfort and a wide range of assistance, in addition to strictly psychological advice, they can count on support from specialists in other fields.
– A year ago, we decided to increase our funding for this initiative. Thanks to this, today, people who call the Youth Helpline can get help not only from a psychologist, but also from a sexologist, a specialist in eating disorders and a lawyer – explains Patrycja Zbytniewska. The spectrum of problems faced by young people in these areas is extremely wide.
The sexologist working on the project deals with areas such as sexual violence, sexually transmitted infections, sex education, and challenges related to identity, relationships and acceptance in the broadest sense. It was no notes that teenagers are the age group that is least likely to seek help. Young adults often ask about their first sexual experiences, identity, or cultural norms. Older callers are more likely to talk about their relationship with their partner or sexual dysfunction. Women often bring up the topic of fear of intimacy or unplanned pregnancy. In the background, there is almost always a need to understand oneself and find acceptance.
The specialist dealing with eating disorders (including anorexia, bulimia and binge eating) warns that the number of young adults seeking information about free treatment and psychotherapy is growing. Many of them struggle not only with health problems, but also with a lack of financial and emotional support from their closest relatives.
Another key area of the Youth Helpline is legal assistance. Experts on the helpline provide advice on topics such as domestic violence, sexual assault, threats and persistent harassment, addiction, and debt responsibility. Young people report cases of psychological and physical violence at school, problems with teachers, the consequences of not being promoted to the next grade, and many others.
– Young people today face enormous pressure and multidimensional problems that often go beyond the realm of psychology. Therefore, in addition to psychological support, we want to provide them with access to specialists in various fields. The list of issues that cause anxiety among young people today is growing. As a result, they are unable to cope with stress, often feel useless, declare a lack of will to live, and sometimes decide to attempt suicide. We are delighted that, thanks to the support of the LPP Foundation, we can implement and continue to develop this model of assistance. This is a step towards even more comprehensive support, which young people desperately need in today’s difficult reality – says Izabela Jezierska-Świergiel, Vice-President of the ITAKA Foundation.
Within the four years since the launch of the Youth Helpline, the specialists available on the line have conducted as many as 24,404 telephone calls, 3,100 chat conversations and 1,990 online psychological consultations. The support of specialists such as a sexologist, an eating disorder therapist and a lawyer, launched last year, has been used 453 times.
Do you need mental health support? Call 22 484 88 04.
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LPP is a Polish family business and one of the fastest growing clothing companies in the region of Central Europe. For 30 years, it has been successfully designing and selling the collections and accessories in Poland and abroad. LPP manages five fashion brands: Reserved, Cropp, House, Mohito, and Sinsay, whose offer is available today in stationary and online stores in 42 markets worldwide. The company has a chain of nearly 3000 stores with the total area of over 2.5 million m2 and distributes the products to 3 continents every year. LPP also plays an important role as it provides employment to over 54 thousand people in its offices and sales structures in Poland, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The company is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange in the WIG20 index and belongs to the prestigious MSCI Poland index.