With the idea of creating a more comprehensive support system for children throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 2013 the Association "Nova generacija" launched free advice line for children by name "Blue Phone".
Blue telephone
Advice line for children and young people
Why helpline for children?
With the idea of creating a more comprehensive support system for children throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 2013 the Association "Nova generacija" launched free advice line for children by name "Blue Phone".
The reason for starting the service is that, at the time, there was no counseling line through which children and families could get support in the form of consultations, counseling as well as information on the possibilities of exercising rights in the field of social and health care. In addition, a large number of children throughout BIH, and especially in less developed municipalities, did not have accessible ways and opportunities to obtain support and make contact with social and health care services. The Blue Phone made just that possible by way of free and anonymous lines.
The Blue Phone service is completely free for calls from all networks in BIH, and children and young people have the opportunity to contact us by phone or via chat counseling on our website www.plavitelefon.ba.
Through the Blue Phone, children and young people can receive support in the form of:
- opportunities for anonymous reporting of violence and child abuse
- Reporting child abuse on the Internet and in the digital environment
- First psychological help and support
- Counseling in the area of reproductive health, family and peer relationships, sexual reproductive health, learning problems, problems and violence on the Internet
- suicide prevention in children and young people
The quality of the Blue Phone service
The professional team of the Blue Phone consists of counselors, graduate psychologists who have been educated or are in the process of being educated for various psychotherapy directions and techniques. In addition to formal education, the professional team is constantly re-educated in order to provide the highest quality support to children.
Additionally, as a guarantor of quality, it is important to add that the Association is New Generation accredited provider of social protection services. Furthermore, the Association and the methodology of the Blue Telephone work meet the high international standards of the work of counseling lines for children. We are full members of To the Children's Helpline International Network (CHI), which gathers over 180 organizations from 143 countries of the world and we have a very developed cooperation and exchange of knowledge and experience with advisory lines from neighboring countries.
Results
64500
calls
7500
chat conversations
230
report of suspected violence
355
persons included in the applications
Information campaigns
The way to children's trust
With our promotional activities, we strive to every child knows about the Blue Phone as a safe place to get help and support.
This is why we collaborate with primary and secondary schools where we present the work of the Blue Telephone and educate children and young people about important topics.
In addition, we implement numerous online campaigns through which children and young people can become familiar with the work of this service.
Campaign "You are not alone!"
One of the main reasons why a child or an adult does not seek help is fear that in this way they will destroy the family, that someone will be punished, go to prison or that the child will hurt his parents in this way. The fear of guilt and responsibility for having hurt someone prevents us from seeking support and protection.
Campaign objective
The goal of the campaign "You are not alone" was to reduce fear and to bring children and adults closer to the way the Blue Phone works.
The campaign results are
600,000 people viewed the videos, 2x more calls to the hotline, 100+ people reported suspected violence.
What children and young people say about Blue Phone
"For the first time in my life, I felt true support, even though this is online, but somehow I'm at least a little more satisfied with my life, somehow you've changed my outlook on life, it's easier when you have a person to whom you can TELL EVERYTHING and they will HELP you completely, yes they won't TURN it against you. I feel safe, I don't know what words to explain the relief when I let you step into my life, I'm surprised that after a few hours of conversation you can have such a positive influence and turn my story around."
A 14-year-old girl's statement following a mental health discussion
"I'm glad that someone understands what I have to say because no one has ever understood me like you. And now I have the same feeling that I had when I first contacted you, which is that I am understood and accepted. Thank you for everything. And I wish to know that you are truly a hero!"
Statement of a 17-year-old boy who feels depressed and has suicidal thoughts
"Thank you so much for your support, I can't tell you how much this conversation really helped me. When I googled this morning, I was literally scattered in my head on 10,000 pages, I didn't know where or what, and it was all over my head."
Statement of a 16-year-old boy who has suicidal thoughts because of the violence he experienced
"It's nice to know that there is someone who works to understand others and gives space to express their emotions, and at the same time in privacy, that is, you know how hard it is to trust someone you know because of fear and shame, thank you from the bottom of my heart for that contribution."
Statement of an 18-year-old girl who feels depressed
"Thank you very much for everything. The conversation with you showed me that all is not lost. I know that I have a long and difficult path of struggle to find meaning, but now, I feel empowered and ready to seek professional help."
Statement 19-year-old boy who has suicidal thoughts and feels depressed
New Generation Shield
Become part of the New Generation Shield, a platform that brings together humane citizens and socially responsible companies in the fight for the safety and well-being of children in Bosnia and Herzegovina
