Phone or Text Support from Kids Help Phone

A former competitive figure skater, Teja Peltomaa competed at various local and regional events, including the Snowflake Skate Metro West Area Competition and the Charles Dover Memorial Invitational. While pursuing a bachelor of social work at Ryerson University, Teja Peltomaa also volunteers as a crisis text line responder with Kids Help Phone.

Available 24 hours a day, Kids Help Phone offers support for children, adolescents, and young adults who are experiencing emotional distress. Committed to providing judgment-free advice on a range of topics, including bullying and school problems, the help line relies on the dedication of trained volunteer responders to offer phone and text support.

Representing a broad demographic, volunteer crisis responders include retired professionals, teachers, and students. All have undergone 36 hours of online training, learning how to respond with compassion and respect to callers regardless of social factors, culture, or identity. They also learn how to connect callers with valuable community resources when necessary. Call and text support are available in English and French, and all volunteers are supervised by an individual with a graduate or post-graduate degree in a field related to crisis intervention.