Tēnā koutou katoa, My deepest condolences and thoughts are with those families affected in Christchurch - as-salāmu ʿalaykum.

It has been a time of significant reflection for all of us as we look at our communities and our country and try and comprehend what has happened.

Personally, and on behalf of Youthline, I want to acknowledge and āwhi the wider Muslim community in New Zealand, and offer our unwavering aroha and support.

The fundamental values underlying the work that Youthline does are about respecting the essential dignity, value, resourcefulness and cultural diversity of all human beings.

Over the last week we have bean hearing from all kinds of people about how they are feeling in the wake of the terror attack in Christchurch last Friday. Many young people and their families who have been directly or indirectly impacted have contacted our free 24/7 Helpline for support.

In response we have put together some resources specifically for young people, and those supporting young people. It has been heartening to see all of the good information and support available to our communities shared so widely.

For those of you with adolescent children, or who work with rangatahi, I wanted to share what we at Youthline have compiled. We hope you find it useful.

We have 10 Youthline Centres across the country and telephone counsellors are available 24/7 by phone, and from 8am to midnight by text, from anywhere in the country. We are available for young people, and all those supporting young people.

We also provide free face to face counselling for young people and their families in the Auckland region.

We’ve put together two specific resources, one for young people and one for those supporting young people.

"How should I be feeling after the Christchurch terror attack?"

"Advice and information for whānau supporting young people through traumatic events"

In addition we’ve brought together some of our other key resources into one helpful location. The topics include: dealing with grief and loss, general support for parents and whānau of young people, dealing with stress and stressful events, general information and resources for schools, and some information for young people about discrimination and social action.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us for support if you need it.

Free call 0800 37 66 33

Free text 234

Ngā mihi,

Shae

Shae Ronald

CEO Youthline

Additional resources and support available here>>