0:00:01.007,0:00:03.032 "I'm 14, and I want to go home." 0:00:03.056,0:00:05.524 "My name is Beth, I'm here for you, 0:00:05.548,0:00:06.698 tell me more." 0:00:07.532,0:00:08.731 "I've run away before, 0:00:08.755,0:00:11.283 but I've never been involved[br]with anything like this. 0:00:11.307,0:00:13.418 I think they put drugs in my liquor." 0:00:13.442,0:00:15.768 "It sounds like you feel you're not safe. 0:00:15.792,0:00:18.125 The fastest way for me to get help to you 0:00:18.149,0:00:20.640 is for you to call 911." 0:00:21.593,0:00:22.744 "LOL, Beth. 0:00:22.768,0:00:24.379 If they hear me, they'll kill me. 0:00:24.403,0:00:27.105 They're about to send another man in[br]to have sex with me, 0:00:27.129,0:00:28.279 please hurry." 0:00:29.090,0:00:31.256 "OK, it sounds like you're in danger. 0:00:31.280,0:00:34.097 I can call 911 for you and send help. 0:00:34.121,0:00:35.788 You're being very brave." 0:00:36.903,0:00:38.061 "Thanks, Beth. 0:00:38.085,0:00:40.830 Tell the police to be careful,[br]these men are armed." 0:00:42.337,0:00:43.894 I can share this story with you, 0:00:43.894,0:00:48.446 because it was widely reported[br]in news outlets throughout the country. 0:00:48.470,0:00:50.446 We did call 911. 0:00:51.137,0:00:52.859 The police rescued this girl, 0:00:52.883,0:00:54.041 two other girls, 0:00:54.065,0:00:56.434 and arrested three men, 0:00:56.458,0:00:58.799 all at the Motel 6 in San Jose. 0:00:59.887,0:01:02.037 My name is Nancy "Beth" Lublin. 0:01:02.061,0:01:04.807 I'm the cofounder and CEO[br]of Crisis Text Line, 0:01:04.831,0:01:07.141 the free 24/7 service 0:01:07.165,0:01:09.641 that helps people by text and Messenger, 0:01:09.665,0:01:12.299 with mental health[br]and behavioral health issues. 0:01:12.323,0:01:14.792 And when I go on the platform[br]as a crisis counselor, 0:01:14.816,0:01:16.315 I use the alias "Beth." 0:01:16.339,0:01:19.513 I happen to be the crisis counselor[br]who took that conversation. 0:01:20.093,0:01:21.871 But this is what Crisis Text Line is. 0:01:21.895,0:01:25.324 It's strangers helping strangers[br]in their darkest moments 0:01:25.348,0:01:28.061 to stay alive, feel less alone, 0:01:28.085,0:01:30.597 and to remind them how strong they are. 0:01:31.169,0:01:35.185 Crisis Text Line launched[br]quietly in August 2013 0:01:35.209,0:01:37.764 in Chicago and in El Paso, 0:01:37.788,0:01:39.355 and within four months, 0:01:39.379,0:01:43.442 we were in all 274 area codes[br]of the United States, 0:01:43.466,0:01:45.641 because people used the service, 0:01:45.665,0:01:48.514 had a great experience[br]and shared it with their friends -- 0:01:48.538,0:01:50.299 that's organic growth. 0:01:50.323,0:01:51.713 And in six and a half years, 0:01:51.737,0:01:54.950 we've now processed[br]about 150 million messages. 0:01:55.497,0:01:59.299 The people who use our free 24/7 service 0:01:59.323,0:02:00.506 skew young, 0:02:00.530,0:02:02.347 because it's text, so they skew young. 0:02:02.371,0:02:05.569 45 percent are under the age of 17. 0:02:05.593,0:02:07.760 Also poor, racially diverse. 0:02:07.784,0:02:10.474 17 percent identify as Hispanic, 0:02:10.498,0:02:12.712 and 44 percent LGBTQ. 0:02:13.061,0:02:16.244 The top five issues[br]that we see are relationships, 0:02:16.268,0:02:19.377 depression, anxiety, self-harm 0:02:19.401,0:02:21.877 and in approximately one[br]in four conversations, 0:02:21.901,0:02:23.623 suicidal ideation. 0:02:24.282,0:02:27.250 Everyone texting us is unhappy, 0:02:27.274,0:02:31.880 yet we normally have[br]about an 86 percent satisfaction rating 0:02:31.904,0:02:33.054 from our texters. 0:02:33.699,0:02:35.183 What makes it so good? 0:02:35.207,0:02:38.008 The technology, the data and the people. 0:02:38.334,0:02:39.823 So, the technology. 0:02:39.847,0:02:41.529 It is not an app. 0:02:42.220,0:02:44.156 It's not something you have to download. 0:02:44.180,0:02:45.331 It's free, 0:02:45.355,0:02:47.662 there's no complicated intake survey, 0:02:47.686,0:02:49.521 so it's really user-friendly. 0:02:49.545,0:02:50.942 You just text us. 0:02:50.966,0:02:53.204 We use machine learning[br]to stack-rank the queue 0:02:53.228,0:02:54.378 based on severity. 0:02:54.696,0:02:59.422 Kind of like a hospital emergency room[br]would take the gunshot wound 0:02:59.446,0:03:01.371 before the kid with a sprained ankle. 0:03:01.395,0:03:02.728 We work the same way. 0:03:02.752,0:03:05.117 So we take the high-risk cases first. 0:03:05.141,0:03:07.403 So the person who swallowed[br]a bottle of pills 0:03:07.427,0:03:09.696 would come before someone else. 0:03:09.720,0:03:12.053 This is data science to save lives. 0:03:12.990,0:03:14.934 But it's humans who do the counseling. 0:03:14.958,0:03:19.343 We've trained over 28,000[br]volunteer crisis counselors 0:03:19.367,0:03:22.010 who apply online,[br]go through a background check 0:03:22.034,0:03:24.177 and then about a 30-hour training. 0:03:24.201,0:03:25.406 And if they pass -- 0:03:25.430,0:03:26.689 not everybody passes, 0:03:26.713,0:03:29.418 there's only a 33 percent pass rate -- 0:03:29.442,0:03:32.418 they can save lives from their couch. 0:03:32.990,0:03:35.396 It's a new gig economy for volunteerism, 0:03:35.420,0:03:38.610 like Uber or Lyft for volunteerism. 0:03:38.634,0:03:40.555 And we also have full-time staff 0:03:40.579,0:03:43.015 with a master's degree[br]in a relevant field. 0:03:43.039,0:03:44.450 They're supervisors, 0:03:44.474,0:03:48.149 and they watch every conversation[br]and step in if needed. 0:03:48.173,0:03:50.109 Thanks to this technology and data 0:03:50.133,0:03:52.291 and our volunteer labor model, 0:03:52.315,0:03:55.045 we're able to reach[br]tons of people in pain. 0:03:55.069,0:03:57.562 People who don't have access[br]to other resources, 0:03:57.586,0:04:01.862 like the gay teenager[br]who can't share with his parents, 0:04:01.886,0:04:04.550 because they keep telling him[br]to pray the gay away. 0:04:04.574,0:04:07.139 Or the girl who can't sleep at 2am 0:04:07.163,0:04:09.012 because she's got anxiety about finals 0:04:09.036,0:04:12.137 and she doesn't want to disappoint[br]people who love her. 0:04:12.468,0:04:13.627 So they text us. 0:04:13.651,0:04:15.809 And we love on them. 0:04:15.833,0:04:17.063 And we support them, 0:04:17.087,0:04:19.444 and we remind them how strong they are. 0:04:19.468,0:04:22.728 And we work on a plan[br]together to stay safe. 0:04:22.752,0:04:25.260 And we tell them that if this felt good, 0:04:25.284,0:04:26.434 sharing with us -- 0:04:26.458,0:04:29.895 and 68 percent of people say[br]they've shared something with us 0:04:29.919,0:04:32.474 they've never shared with another human, 0:04:32.498,0:04:35.720 so if it feels good to share with us, 0:04:35.744,0:04:39.790 maybe find just one other person[br]in your life tomorrow to share with. 0:04:39.814,0:04:41.425 And after our conversation, 0:04:41.449,0:04:44.663 they put that safety plan in place. 0:04:44.687,0:04:46.385 And maybe they go to sleep. 0:04:46.409,0:04:48.712 Or they journal. 0:04:48.736,0:04:51.387 Or they listen to BTS or Lizzo, 0:04:51.411,0:04:53.323 or they write a letter to their sister 0:04:53.347,0:04:56.394 or their boss or to themselves,[br]to read in 12 months. 0:04:57.323,0:04:58.473 They stay safe. 0:04:59.466,0:05:02.602 Sometimes, people have the ideation, 0:05:02.626,0:05:04.657 the plan, the means and the timing 0:05:04.681,0:05:06.704 to hurt themselves or someone else, 0:05:06.728,0:05:08.401 and we can't deescalate. 0:05:08.763,0:05:13.065 Like the man in Texas,[br]five years ago on Christmas Eve, 0:05:13.089,0:05:16.562 who told us he only felt pleasure[br]when he inflicted pain 0:05:16.586,0:05:20.028 and he wanted to kill women[br]and was going to do it that very night. 0:05:20.052,0:05:22.783 In those imminent risk situations, 0:05:22.807,0:05:24.043 we call 911. 0:05:24.067,0:05:25.750 And thank goodness for 911, 0:05:25.774,0:05:27.536 because in that Texas incident, 0:05:27.560,0:05:29.068 as reported in the news, 0:05:29.092,0:05:32.103 they did send help,[br]they sent the police to his home, 0:05:32.127,0:05:35.413 and they found him with an arsenal[br]of loaded weapons 0:05:35.437,0:05:39.399 and on record as being[br]in possession of a human foot. 0:05:40.260,0:05:42.998 Now, active rescues[br]are less than one percent 0:05:43.022,0:05:44.895 of our conversations. 0:05:44.919,0:05:47.887 But still, that's about 26 a day. 0:05:47.911,0:05:52.682 And six of those a week are for homicide. 0:05:52.706,0:05:54.506 Typically school shooters. 0:05:54.530,0:05:58.395 We have now completed[br]more than 32,000 active rescues. 0:05:58.419,0:06:00.649 Our own data and external studies 0:06:00.673,0:06:03.188 show that we're very good at saving lives, 0:06:03.212,0:06:04.855 and at changing lives. 0:06:04.879,0:06:09.894 We use the data to make it possible[br]for us to change systems. 0:06:10.196,0:06:11.461 So for example, 0:06:11.485,0:06:14.585 we've learned the best way,[br]the best language to risk-assess 0:06:14.609,0:06:16.458 around suicidal ideation 0:06:16.482,0:06:20.460 isn't to use the words,[br]"Are you thinking of committing suicide?" 0:06:20.484,0:06:22.810 Instead, it's to use words like, 0:06:22.834,0:06:24.849 "Are you thinking of death or dying?" 0:06:24.873,0:06:27.524 Or "Are you thinking[br]about killing yourself?" 0:06:27.548,0:06:31.691 And now, we've shared that language[br]with journalists, to adopt this. 0:06:31.715,0:06:33.771 We've shared that language with activists. 0:06:33.795,0:06:36.636 We're advising the National Emergency[br]Number Association, 0:06:36.660,0:06:38.557 the 911 Association, 0:06:38.581,0:06:42.151 on best practices[br]for first responders in suicide. 0:06:42.175,0:06:44.540 And we're working[br]with the Veterans Administration 0:06:44.564,0:06:47.635 to identify suicidal ideation[br]and intent in veterans. 0:06:48.016,0:06:50.358 (Sighs) 0:06:50.382,0:06:52.482 Pain isn't an American experience. 0:06:52.506,0:06:54.379 It's a human experience. 0:06:54.403,0:06:56.807 So we've been growing. 0:06:56.831,0:07:00.490 So far, we've been expanding[br]one country at a time: 0:07:00.514,0:07:05.426 Ireland, the UK, Canada --[br]which we did in both French and English. 0:07:05.450,0:07:08.109 And we could keep growing,[br]one country at a time. 0:07:08.479,0:07:10.185 And it would take us decades 0:07:10.209,0:07:13.875 to reach even just a third[br]of the people in the world. 0:07:14.550,0:07:17.018 And that's just not acceptable. 0:07:18.050,0:07:21.633 We've already seen,[br]since the start of COVID in early March, 0:07:21.657,0:07:24.410 a 40 percent increase in our volume. 0:07:24.434,0:07:26.572 78 percent of our conversations 0:07:26.596,0:07:30.672 include words like "freaked out,"[br]"scared," "panic." 0:07:30.696,0:07:33.180 People are worried about the COVID virus, 0:07:33.204,0:07:35.022 and so they're nervous about symptoms 0:07:35.046,0:07:37.649 and they're concerned for family[br]on the front lines. 0:07:37.950,0:07:41.402 We're also seeing the impact[br]of the quarantines themselves. 0:07:42.086,0:07:44.634 People are away from their routines, 0:07:44.658,0:07:47.863 perhaps they're quarantined[br]with abusive people. 0:07:47.887,0:07:51.870 So we've seen a 48 percent[br]increase in sexual abuse, 0:07:51.894,0:07:55.172 and a 74 percent increase[br]in domestic violence. 0:07:55.800,0:08:00.488 One of the biggest impacts we've seen[br]of the virus and the lockdowns 0:08:00.512,0:08:02.424 is the financial stress. 0:08:02.448,0:08:05.670 We're seeing more people[br]reach out with fears of bankruptcy, 0:08:05.694,0:08:08.536 fears of homelessness[br]and other financial ruin. 0:08:09.004,0:08:10.170 And right now, 0:08:10.194,0:08:12.577 32 percent of our texters 0:08:12.601,0:08:17.871 identify as coming from household incomes[br]under 20,000 dollars. 0:08:17.895,0:08:21.368 That's up from our typical[br]19 percent low income. 0:08:21.839,0:08:23.482 So we need to grow. 0:08:23.506,0:08:24.656 Quickly. 0:08:25.022,0:08:29.942 For months, we were planning on announcing[br]that we were going to expand by language: 0:08:29.966,0:08:32.866 Five languages in the next five years, 0:08:32.890,0:08:35.090 covering 32 percent of the globe. 0:08:35.438,0:08:37.104 And then, COVID happened. 0:08:37.462,0:08:38.874 Things changed. 0:08:38.898,0:08:41.498 And now five years feels like a luxury. 0:08:41.850,0:08:44.511 So today, right now, 0:08:44.535,0:08:47.503 we are committing[br]to do it in half the time. 0:08:47.527,0:08:50.484 Five languages in two and a half years. 0:08:50.963,0:08:52.980 We're going to turn on Spanish everywhere, 0:08:53.004,0:08:55.085 English everywhere, Portuguese everywhere, 0:08:55.109,0:08:56.363 French everywhere, 0:08:56.387,0:08:57.831 and the fifth language? 0:08:57.855,0:08:59.006 Arabic. 0:08:59.030,0:09:02.307 So we're going to bring our service[br]to countries and populations 0:09:02.331,0:09:04.633 that have limited mental health services 0:09:04.657,0:09:06.954 and almost no data about what's going on. 0:09:06.978,0:09:10.002 These include immigrant[br]populations -- who have phones. 0:09:10.026,0:09:13.170 And young people, who are often[br]not counted in studies, 0:09:13.194,0:09:14.914 but they have phones. 0:09:14.938,0:09:16.682 So we're going to shift to language, 0:09:16.706,0:09:18.914 which makes the technology easier, 0:09:18.938,0:09:20.522 because in addition to text, 0:09:20.546,0:09:22.879 we're going to be using[br]WhatsApp and Messenger. 0:09:22.903,0:09:26.791 And global expansion helps us[br]with middle-of-the-night capacity, 0:09:26.815,0:09:28.974 because we'll have time-zone coverage. 0:09:28.998,0:09:30.172 So think about it, 0:09:30.196,0:09:33.982 this will be strangers[br]helping strangers around the world. 0:09:34.480,0:09:37.234 Like a giant global love machine. 0:09:38.369,0:09:41.996 And the fact that the TED community[br]has supported our audacious dream 0:09:42.020,0:09:45.458 is just deeply, deeply meaningful, 0:09:45.482,0:09:48.314 to me and to everybody on our team. 0:09:48.863,0:09:51.363 And the best way[br]for us to show our gratitude 0:09:51.387,0:09:55.016 is to just let you know[br]that we are ready and we are fired up. 0:09:55.508,0:09:57.271 And we're going to use this support 0:09:57.295,0:10:00.361 to impact millions of lives[br]around the world. 0:10:01.493,0:10:02.961 Times are hard. 0:10:02.985,0:10:05.899 And it's confusing, and it's depressing, 0:10:05.923,0:10:10.327 and sometimes, we all feel alone,[br]especially in isolation. 0:10:10.796,0:10:12.331 But no matter what age, 0:10:12.355,0:10:14.926 no matter what your situation is[br]or where you live, 0:10:14.950,0:10:18.204 we'll be at your fingertips,[br]in your pocket. 0:10:20.522,0:10:22.890 I've been thinking a lot[br]these last few weeks 0:10:22.914,0:10:25.077 about that trafficked girl 0:10:25.101,0:10:26.501 who I connected with. 0:10:26.895,0:10:29.768 And I hope she's somewhere safe. 0:10:30.172,0:10:31.394 I don't know ... 0:10:32.117,0:10:34.545 I don't know how she's quarantined 0:10:34.569,0:10:35.760 or who she's with, 0:10:35.784,0:10:37.250 but I hope she's safe. 0:10:37.657,0:10:40.625 And I don't know, last year,[br]how she had our number, 0:10:40.649,0:10:44.033 or even how she had access[br]to a phone to reach out to us. 0:10:44.057,0:10:45.366 I never asked her. 0:10:45.390,0:10:46.898 Because it didn't matter. 0:10:46.922,0:10:50.339 What mattered was[br]that she could contact us, 0:10:50.363,0:10:53.180 that she did have it,[br]and we got help to her quickly. 0:10:53.204,0:10:54.625 And that's the goal, 0:10:54.649,0:10:57.545 it's to make it easier[br]for people to get help 0:10:57.569,0:10:59.169 than avoid getting help. 0:11:00.021,0:11:02.066 That in moments of hardship, 0:11:02.090,0:11:05.315 of danger, of physical distance, 0:11:05.339,0:11:07.906 that nobody is ever alone. 0:11:08.262,0:11:10.389 That thanks to Crisis Text Line, 0:11:10.413,0:11:13.506 none of us is ever actually alone. 0:11:13.530,0:11:16.912 [Support this initiative[br]at AudaciousProject.org]