Switched-On :: Blog

The National Runaway Switchboard has been helping teens over the phone for decades now. But last spring, NRS branched out into a live chat service. In addition to the bulletin board and email options, the live chat lets teens who might not want to call still get help. In recent months, the live chat has been growing in popularity. For teens who are ready to talk, but can’t or don’t want to do so over the phone, the live chat is a great way to speak to a real person who can address individual situations. Even though there’s a ton of helpful information on the web, a lot of times it doesn’t apply to specific scenarios, and it can be frustrating to keep reading the same advice when it isn’t relevant to you. The live chat combines the best features of the internet and the phone line – offering fast, convenient, and individual help. If you need to call, NRS is always waiting. But if you’re just not ready, you can try the live chat and still find a solution to your problem. Right now, the live chat runs from 4:30 pm to 11:30 pm Central Time, and can be accessed by going to http://www.1800runaway.org/ and pressing the box that says “Get Help Live Chat.”

I’ve always thought it strange to think of a house as only someplace that you live, but I think that that may be because my house has always been a home to me. No matter how troubled things may become, that is the place that I feel the most safe. Although the temperaments that fill it may grow worse, bitter, it’s still filled with the memories of the good times that were put there. I know that I’ve said that love should always be reinforced verbally, but I truly think that that’s only for the sake of reinforcement. If there is love, it can be felt, shown through even the smallest of actions. As this is National Runaway Awareness Month, I think it’s important to just try and remember what it’s like to have a home, and how to make your own feel like one for others. When I few away to Paris, practically running away from home, even my host family made their home feel as if it were my own. Just the attention that I was paid alone was enough to make my visit, even just inside those walls, all the more bearable. Now, think of those who have run away from home, and think of all the home that they’re missing. Be proactive, and make wherever you may go a home. Be proactive, and keep your own house a home.
- Eric

November is National Runaway Prevention Month. It is to show awareness and to help youth safe and off the streets. National Runaway Switchboard celebrates this in order to educate the public so they are more aware and can help prevent youth from running away. Many adolescents run away for various reasons, whether it is problems at home or at school. Many adolescents may feel like running away is the only solution. National Runaway Switchboard (NRS) helps with this issue. They provide many services and resources for those in need of them. Before anyone decides to runaway they should figure out if it is the best choice out there. If it is the best choice, those should call for help especially NRS. That way they can help solve the problem that is at hand and have less people trying to runaway. Running away does not solve all the problems that are there it may make it worse. NRS is and always will be confidential.
- Tatiana