Fresh start for Youthline Southland
Youthline Southland has had a rapid increase in calls during the Covid-19 pandemic and the newly appointed community development manager wants to give the organisation a fresh start.
Southland musician and former radio host Liv Cochrane has been appointed to the role and said that Youthline had been the number one organisation for young people to call for guidance and counselling.
However, during the past few years, the Southland branch had been unable to be that in the region, she said.
The pressure on its service was noted during the Covid-19 lockdown when the number of calls they had received increased by 50 per cent, with the client base growing from 165 to more than 250.
The organisation noticed there was an increase in calls from young people who did not feel safe in their own home, Cochrane said.
Volunteers struggled to cope with the increased call numbers, while also having to work from home under new systems, she said.
‘‘The call numbers went up and the ability to take those calls declined.’’
Youthline Southland board members prepared to fast tracked a reboot as a result of the increased pressure on its service.
The immediate focus would be to increase the number of volunteers.
Cochrane would like to see the number of volunteer increased from ‘‘only a handful’’ to 12 by the end of the year and had fast tracked training programmes to help.
The first training would begin at the end of June, which Cochrane would also be taking.
‘‘The call numbers went up and the ability to take those calls declined.’’ Liv Cochrane, Youthline Southland community development manager
Youthline Southland also planned to get more programmes in schools such as the Good2Great leadership programme fronted by fellow musician Stan Walker.
Cochrane wanted a thriving local community where people knew they could come to Youthline for anything.
Youthline Southland board member Kari Grabber said she was excited for Cochrane to take on the role and for the organisation to move forward in Southland.
With an increase in calls from Covid19, there were a lot of young people struggling with anxiety by watching their parents lose jobs and the uncertainty the pandemic brought about on the future, Grabber said.
It would be a challenging role but Cochrane had already brought passion and fresh ideas, she said.