EDITOR- IN- CHIEF’S LETTER

It’s been three years since we visited Kensington Palace to photograph Prince William for his conversation- shifting Attitude magazine cover story during which he met with 10 people from the LGBTQ community to hear their stories about bullying and mental health.

The story connected with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry’s Heads Together initiative, which aims to tackle stigma and change the discussion about mental health.

This month, Attitude returned to the palace to meet the duke and duchess to learn about Shout, a new text service for people in mental- health crisis. The backbone of the service is made up of the 1,000 volunteers, supported by clinically trained professionals, who communicate via text with people in distress.

Shout has already responded to 60,000 conversations. But they need to increase their volunteer support network to 4,000 by the end of the year to handle what they anticipate will be a growing demand for the service. Volunteers receive 25 hours of online training before they start and have to commit to just two to three hours a week, working from home. They are trained in a range of subjects, including LGBTQ issues around gender and sexual identity.

The service is modelled on a similar scheme in the USA that, since 2013, has processed more than 100 million messages from people in need. The nature of texting being private and silent means people in distress can reach out easily whether they are at home, work, on a bus, or anywhere else. A texter’s identity is not revealed when they message and the number doesn’t appear on their phone bill, and, as a result, gay and trans people who are struggling with issues around their sexuality or gender — such as abuse at school, homophobic parents, or a work situation — make up a high percentage of the people using the service.

On too many occasions, Shout has made the diff erence — talking somebody away from self- harm or suicide and into a calm state of mind. One of the volunteers who shared her experiences at the launch event told how she counselled a young girl, who was threatening to jump off a bridge and on to train tracks, until the emergency services arrived to help her and take over.

But Shout needs more volunteers to continue the incredible work they have started. So, the next time you’re staring agog, half- arsed, viewing another dreadful direct- to- video movie on whatever streaming platform you are using, spare a moment to think about the diff erence you could be making to any number of lonely or struggling people out there. People who are so desperately isolated that they don’t have a friend or family member to call for help.

To become a Shout volunteer, go to giveusashout. org

“Too often, Shout has made the difference — talking somebody away from self harm and suicide”