5 Years of the Youth Helpline – a summary and discussion of the challenges faced by young people
On 17 June 2026, the jubilee conference “Halo, tu zrozumienie. 5 lat Telefonu Zaufania Młodych” took place at the Zielna Conference Centre in Warsaw. Organised by the ITAKA Foundation in cooperation with the LPP Foundation and the Reserved brand, the event marked five years of a project providing young people with professional, free and anonymous psychological support.
A space to talk about young people’s mental health
The conference was held in a hybrid format and brought together individuals involved in various areas of youth support. Participants included mental health experts, representatives of non-governmental organisations, professionals working directly with young people, as well as parents and caregivers. The event created a space for shared reflection on the mental condition of the younger generation and for discussion about the challenges faced today by children, teenagers and young adults.
Challenges faced by young people and insights from the helpline
One of the key elements of the programme was a summary of the activities of the Youth Helpline. The organisers presented insights from five years of its operation, including the most common issues reported by those seeking support.
The conference also referred to the findings of the “Nastolatki 3.0” report by NASK. Discussions highlighted the impact of the digital environment on the daily lives of young people, as well as social pressure and emotional challenges affecting different areas of their lives.
Another important topic was the situation of young adults aged 18–25. Participants discussed the so-called “quarter-life crisis” and the difficulties associated with entering adulthood.
Access to support and the role of anonymity
During the discussions, speakers emphasised that one of the main barriers to seeking psychological help is the reluctance to speak openly about personal difficulties. In this context, the importance of anonymity and low-threshold access to support was highlighted as a key factor in the effectiveness of the Youth Helpline and young people’s willingness to use it. The need to destigmatise the use of psychological support was also underlined.
Experts gathered at the conference also stressed the importance of community-based work and initiatives implemented directly within young people’s everyday environments. They presented perspectives on practical youth work, including the role of youth workers and initiatives supporting young people in crisis.
Conclusions after five years of the project
The conference “Halo, tu zrozumienie. 5 lat Telefonu Zaufania Młodych” was an opportunity to summarize the experience to date and to outline directions for further action. Since the launch of the Youth Helpline, specialists have conducted nearly 30,000 phone calls, delivered almost 2,500 online consultations, nearly 900 specialist consultations, and over 3,000 chat conversations. One of the clear conclusions was the need to consistently develop available forms of psychological support for young people. The importance of cross-sector cooperation – between the ITAKA Foundation, the LPP Foundation, and the Reserved brand – in building a mental health support system for young people was also emphasized.
The conference was an important event in both the industry and social context, as it highlighted the scale of mental health challenges faced by young people and the role of available forms of support. At the same time, it demonstrated that the Youth Helpline has become an important part of the mental health support system in Poland, offering quick, free, and anonymous access to specialists.