Hi! I’m Nty Niakite, and I’m a Crisis Services Digital Supervisor at The Trevor Project. My job is supporting the counselors who connect with LGBTQ youth all day long. I’m there for them as a resource during every call, every text, and every minute of their shift.

I remember one particular minute from this year that perfectly encapsulates what I do every day, and why our work at Trevor matters. While many LGBTQ people and allies were celebrating pride this summer, one young person was seriously considering attempting suicide. They had a plan and wrote goodbye notes to their loved ones. Luckily, this young person reached out to us via TrevorText and talked with one of our counselors. I saw that the risk was high for this conversation, and I checked in with them during the course of the conversation to provide them with guidance and personal support. The conversation ended with the young person tearing up their goodbye notes and seeking further help.

Crises like these happen every day, and our counselors are there for young people no matter how difficult the situation may be, and no matter how immense the stakes are. Our digital crisis counselors and volunteers live all across the country, and come from every background you can imagine. Each one undergoes 40 hours of training before taking regular shifts answering calls, chats, and texts from LGBTQ youth who need our help.

Everyone who reaches out to The Trevor Project, even when they’re in the darkest moments of their lives, has an element of hope. And we are there to meet that hope with love and validation. Supporting our counselors through crises like these can be tough, but I know my work means something. With every training, counselor shift, and conversation, The Trevor Project is equipping more people to create inclusive communities across the country. Each volunteer can take their experiences and radiate that sense of empathy, love, and belonging to everyone around them.

During this season of giving, I hope you consider donating to The Trevor Project to allow us to recruit and train more volunteers, expanding access to our lifesaving services.

If we raise $15,000 today, we’ll be able to fund recruitment and training for one new class of digital crisis counselors. Those counselors will work with Trevor for months, if not years, supporting hundreds or even thousands of LGBTQ young people across the country by giving the affirming acceptance that we all deserve. You can be a part of this life-saving work with a tax-deductible donation of any size — donate now to help us continue and expand our work and save more young lives.

Thank you,
Nty Diakite
she/her/hers
Crisis Services Digital Supervisor