Calls from children and adolescents to the Church’s SOS

Our vision is to turn Jesus' charity into practice by giving time to, believing and promoting hope for people in crisis. Photo: Kirkens SOS

Increase in the number of calls from children and adolescents to the Church’s SOS

The Church’s SOS (Kirkens SOS) has received hundreds more requests from children and adolescents in June compared with the same month last year. The Church’s SOS is an ideal organization that has its origins in the Norwegian popular church.

 

In June last year, approximately 650 children and young people contacted the alarm phone of the Church SOS. In June of this year, there have been more than one hundred more contacts, NRK reports.

Information Manager Sylwia Obuchowicz believes the main reason for the increased openness is that there in recent years has been a great deal of awareness regarding interacting with children on difficult topics – Especially in the public sector. She also believes that the TV series “Shame” has contributed to more openness.

Chat function used by younger people

According to General Secretary Leif Jarle Theis in Church SOS, over the last few years there has also been an increase in the use of the organization’s chat function, especially by those with an average age of 25 years or less.

– I hope the increase can be due to people feeling an acceptance around talking about their life situation. Perhaps due to this openness that is portrayed in the TV series “Shame,” Theis says.

More than 100,000 young people are chatting with the crisis service during the year. Many struggle with anxiety and suicide related feelings.

Facts about the church’s SOS (From their website)

  • The Church SOS in Norway includes twelve local SOS centers, and the National Secretariat in Oslo.
  • We receive about 300,000 inquiries each year and answer nearly 200,000 of them.
  • We have three different services: Phone, SOS message and chat.
  • We will seek to alleviate the pain of emotional and existential crisis, – and prevent suicide.
  • In total, Church SOS has close to 1000 volunteers and more than 40 employees.
    Church SOS receives public grants, but relies on gifts to maintain and develop the business.
  • The church’s SOS was founded in 1974.

 

© NTB ScanpixNorway Today