Programs

The youth suicide rate in Pondicherry is 4 times greater than the national average. Research shows that the primary causes for suicide in Pondicherry are academic and romantic failure and alcoholism, but in many cases, causes for the suicides cannot be identified. This suggests that troubled youths lack safe spaces where they can share their concerns and confide in professionals. Thus, TYCL endeavored to establish a medium for at-risk youth to seek counselling from National Mental Health Program, Health & Family Welfare Services Govt.of Puducherry and professionals in career guidance, bank loan support and entrepreneurship. The Youth Helpline was founded for this purpose. It is a confidential and anonymous connection that troubled or concerned youth and young adults in Pondicherry can call to share their problems, needs and priorities. Helpline assistants are available from Monday to Saturday, 10.00 AM to 6.00 PM to assist youth in finding possible solutions. +91 96555 07090

TYCL has developed an exclusive app for Youth Helpline to provide the professional and accessible mental health support.

Click here to know about our app policies.

According to the NCRB data, RTI information, the media analysis and the Youth Helpline Call track record, we could learn that the rural regions are at more risk of suicides. The vulnerability is due to the access & affordability gap to mental health servicesIn 2020, we started the Mobile Mental Health Clinic to address the problems by providing young people with access to helpline services. Mobile Mental Health Clinic was an effective outreach strategy to sensitize and intervene the vulnerable people at their doorsteps. A team of volunteers along with a mental health professional intervene directly into the community and sensitize people with youth helpline services and provides doorstep counseling on request basis.

Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation and a substantial physical and mental health challenge across the globe. To create a safe space for girls and to address the evidence-based holistic gender justice program gap, TYCL launched Girls Lead Girls in 2018: A Holistic Self-defense workshop for girls and women to build them as strong self-defenders and knowledge-based resources in the society. In addition, witnessing the escalated domestic violence against women and girls during the COVID-19 pandemic, TYCL shifted to an e-learning platform (https://tycl.org.in/girlsleadgirls) with sign language to be inclusive and accessible for all girls, irrespective of their locality. The program includes eight self-defense modules:

• Physical Self-defense
• Emotional Self-defense
• Economical Self-defense
• Intellectual Self-defense
• Socio-Legal Self-defense
• Socio-Cultural Self-defense
• Sexual Self-defense