The Trevor Project
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Trevor Helpline is the only 24-hour, toll-free suicide prevention helpline aimed at gay and questioning youth in the United States.
Their phone number is (866) 4-U-TREVOR (866.488.7386) from within the USA.
The Trevor Helpline is geared toward helping those in crisis, or those wanting information on how to help someone in crisis. The Trevor Project maintains a Los Angeles and San Francisco Call Center, managed by its partners at San Francisco Suicide Prevention, all calls are handled by trained counselors, are free and confidential. In the fall of 2007, the Trevor Project opened a New York Call Center, named after the late Randy Stone, evincing growth for the organization.
[edit] History
The helpline was established in 1998 to coincide with the airing on HBO of the award winning short film Trevor (hosted by Ellen DeGeneres). When Trevor was scheduled to air on HBO, the film's creators realized that some of the program's teenage viewers might be facing the same kind of issues as Trevor and so searched for a support line to help address specific need.
When they discovered that no national 24-hour toll-free suicide hotline existed that was geared towards gay youth, they decided to establish their own. Due to a generous startup grant from The Colin Higgins Foundation, The Trevor Helpline was able to begin.
It was featured on the FOX show The War At Home as a public service announcement in the end of the episode by three of the main actors, out of character.
[edit] The Trevor Project
The cornerstone of The Trevor Project is the 18-minute film Trevor, a comedy/drama about a gay 13-year old boy who, when rejected by friends and peers because of his sexuality, makes an attempt at suicide. The film won the 1994 Academy Awards for Best Live Action Short Film. It was created by Randy Stone (producer), Peggy Rajski (producer/director) and James Lecesne (writer).
The Trevor Project also reaches teens through The Trevor Educational Package. Designed from the start to be a teaching tool for school and institutional use, the film was combined with teaching guides and support materials created by Intermedia. Since its completion in 1995, The Trevor Educational Package has been disseminated to hundreds of schools, universities, community groups and professional organizations around the country.
