Our mission
Lean On Me strengthens communities by providing peer-to-peer text lines that allow for easy access to confidential non-crisis support. We envision a world where anyone can seek and receive emotional support.
Our chapter
Lean On Me at The University of Maryland, College Park is a chapter of Lean On Me, which was founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2015. To learn more about their impact or inquire about establishing a new chapter, visit their website here.
How our hotline works
Lean On Me allows students to talk to trained peer Supporters in a convenient and anonymous setting. To learn more about our training process, please click here.
1. Text our hotline
Text UMD’s hotline number whatever you’d like to talk about! This can range from brief messages such as “All of my friends are busy and I want someone to talk to” to a longer, more serious message. Our Supporters are here to listen and be there for you - the topic is your choice!
3. Receive a reply
The expected wait time is just under 5 minutes. While the service is available at any time, please remember that Supporters are your peers, who lead their own busy lives and occasionally remember to sleep. So the wait time for a conversation sent in at 1:00 AM may be longer, and we thank you for understanding that!
5. End the conversation
Conversations last for as long as you would like them to, and you can end a conversation with a Supporter at any time by texting “/bye” to the hotline. If you text again you will be matched with a new Supporter and they will not see what you wrote before.
2. Match with a Supporter
Once a text is received, all active Supporters will be informed that a request has come in, and within a few minutes you will be matched with one!
4. Have a conversation
You can now have a conversation with the Supporter! Feel free to text for as long as you like. If you ever feel uncomfortable with a Supporter text “/flag”, and we’ll match you with another! For a full list of commands, text “/help” to the hotline. Supporters never see your slash commands.
6. Provide feedback
Once a conversation ends, you will be asked to provide feedback, helping make the service better for future users. By no means is this mandatory, but we would really appreciate it. Your input will have a very real effect on the future of Lean On Me, and on changes we make to the service!
Meet our team
Gavin is a computer science major on the machine learning track. He loves rice!
Gavin Crisologo
He/Him
Co-President
Wren enjoys crocheting, thrifting, hiking, gaming, and spending time with friends! They're also involved with the UMD Gamer Symphony Orchestra and Hack4Impact-UMD.
Wren Poremba
They/Them
Co-President
Jayda is a neuroscience major minoring in human development on the pre-med track. She loves to dance, cook TikTok recipes, and try new restaurants with friends!
Jayda Fomengia
She/Her
Finance
Leon is a biology major on the pre-med track. He enjoys hanging out with friends and family, usually watching movies, playing video games, or going to restaurants and cafes.
Leon Zhang
He/Him
Finance
Gahl is a bioengineering major minoring in Spanish on the pre-med track. He loves to dance, spend time with friends, and watch Netflix!
Gahl Shem-Tov
He/Him
Training Coordinator
Laurel is a junior public health major with plans of getting a masters in Public Health: Environmental Science. She enjoys crocheting, concerts, spending time with friends, and nail painting. She runs the front desk at Johnson-Whittle hall, and is also involved in AMSA.
Laurel Montgomery
She/Her
Training Coordinator
Michael is studying computer science. One fun fact about him is that Lean on Me was the first club he officially joined in college.
Michael Bolin
He/Him
Training Coordinator
Tanvi is a sophomore neurophysics major and business minor. She has been dancing since she was 5 years old!
Tanvi Bolarum
She/Her
Training Coordinator
Ella enjoys spending time with my friends and family, working out, and spending time outdoors!
Ella Ashby
She/Her
Marketing Coordinator
Leo is a Psychology major and LGBTQ studies minor. He enjoys reading manga, listening to indie rock, calisthenics, and eating!
Leo Osei
He/Him
Marketing Coordinator
Sneha spends her free time at the gym, volunteering or spending time with her friends and family, and enjoys trying out new things.!
Sneha Abraham
She/Her
Events Coordinator
Maya is a marketing major. She enjoys hiking, camping, and crotcheting!
Maya Friedman
She/Her
Events Coordinator
Mallory is a Junior who is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Law and Society.
Mallory Van Dyke
She/Her
Supporter Coordinator
Aliza is a sophomore busines info systems major pursuing a minor in sustainability. She loves Gracie Abrams and Conan Gray!
Aliza Syyid
She/Her
Supporter Coordinator
Hershel is a sophomore economics majo. He loves to listen to podcasts and music when driving!
Hershel Katz
He/Him
Supporter Coordinator
Kaiden is a senior psychology major with a minor in human development. Outside of school he works as a behavior technician and serve for a catering business. In the future he hopes to become a BCBA while also practicing acceptance & commitment therapy (ACT)!
Kaiden Skinner
He/Him
Merch Coordinator
Our impact
Follow us on Instragram
Join Us for Sunset Yoga
Come join us for some sylly week sunset yoga! Bring your own blankets and we'll bring the relaxing vibes!
September 3rd, 2023
La Plata Beach
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Who are the peer Supporters?Supporters are volunteers who share your experiences and are excited to converse with you! They are your peers, as determined by the context of the hotline. (For example, the UMD hotline's supporters are all UMD students.) While they are not formally licensed or certified, they do go through our Supporter training.
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How can I be a part of Lean On Me in my community?We're always looking for more people to join the team! If you're interested in applying to be a peer Supporter, please visit your chapter's Join page for more information. If you'd like to be a part of the Lean On Me organizational team or software development squad, please email us at team@lean0n.me!
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Can I start a Lean On Me hotline?If you're part of a group that's interested in having a Lean On Me hotline, please email us at team@lean0n.me and our team will get back to you as soon as possible. Our service is still in the development phase, but we are looking to expand to other universities as well as other organizations in the future, and would love to start a conversation with you now!
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How anonymous is it, really?Our goal is to create a low-barrier, stigma-free, peer support network. That means that we take steps to ensure that when you text in, neither you nor the peer you match with see each other's phone number. While we know how many repeat users we've had, we won't know who those users are, where they live etc. (unless you choose to disclose that information, of course). That also means that we're peers, not professionals, and maintain some information - including your phone number and conversation history - so that we can transfer you to a mental health professional if the Supporter you're speaking to feels out of their depth. Because we care about your health and safety, we might also give your contact information to the authorities in certain cases.
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Is this also a suicide hotline? Can I text in a crisis situation?We are not a suicide hotline, nor are we trained to deal with crisis-level situations. We're just kind peers willing to listen and talk, but if you need urgent help or find yourself in a crisis, please call 911, or text "HOME" to the National Crisis Textline at 741-741.
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How can I provide feedback?Feedback is always welcome! If you have a suggestion, please drop us a line at team@lean0n.me! We are constantly thinking about how to improve the Lean On Me network and technology, so we would love to hear from you.
