To all Moderators

[HitomiYuriko]

TO whom it may concern,

I and a few other members of CAA have notice that there are a few young members are sounding very depressed in the commutacations and threads. Is there any way we canhelp them by setting up a special area for the kids the have someone to talk to and get the loving support of eveyone here on CAA. Like setting up mentor or a surrogate parent where they can contact and talk them with feel like that they are worth it.



Please get back to me as soon as possible
Celestra

[Arnobius]

Might be difficult to pull that off since they might be liable for whatever these mentors do. Also the responsibility in finding qualified people.

[Slater]

I think that AnimeHeretic is right. I mean, if the worst happens, someone could point a finger at CAA and we'd get in serious trouble for offering bad advice. I think that the Prayer Room will suffice.

[uc pseudonym]

The comments regarding liability are correct. I'm not sure what we can really do other than what is currently being done. In that vein, however, you could recommend older people to aforementioned troubled youths in private.

[HitomiYuriko]

Thanks for the advice. Happy Holidays Everyone.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Happy Holidays? What? Merry Christmas!

[Steeltemplar]

I think we might want to remember, W4J, that prior to the recent anti-Christian usage, "Happy Holidays" was not considered in a bad light. I doubt she meant it in the same way the stores do.

[HitomiYuriko]

Happy Holidays? What? Merry Christmas!

Just being PC(political correct) in this.

[shooraijin]

Let's get back on topic. Any other concerns on the original issue?

[Slater]

Perhaps we should stick a thread in the Prayer forum (and maybe the General one too) that says that CAA is not a site that is made to offer help to the clinically depressed or mentally ill... or something like that...

Err... hope you understand what I'm trying to say here... >_>

[Rogie]

I think that that may be a bit too extreme. If it needed to be mentioned at all, adding it to the site FAQ may be best.

However, perhaps the best thing is to just let people assume that the Prayer Room is the best place to seek help while here at the CAA.

[Saint Kevin]

Prayer is good, but I think there are a lot of people on this site that could make great mentors. There are also a lot of kids in a position to need one. Needless to say, nothing substitutes for real human contact with kids that just need somebody. In that regard, volunteering to do something like that within your own local church or your community is something I'd definitely recommend.

I would volunteer myself to be such a mentor, as I've already been in some of the very same situations that these kids are going through: Pornography addiction, recreational drug use, depression, and the general confusion and despair that comes with growing up. Some qualifications huh?

Anyway, as for how you might implement something like that...you might use voice chat applications (it's like free long distance). Also, mentoring relationships ought to be among members of the same sex. I like your heart for reaching out to these kids Celes, and I commend you for that. I appreciate your concern, and I pray that God uses you in some way to help some of these kids for whom you hurt.

[Mangafanatic]

I think the issue at this point is that if CAA provided such a program, it could lead to very serious trouble. Suppose that one of the "mentors" had less than noble intentions. Or, on the flip side, suppose the "troubled youth" wasn't a youth but was just plain troubled. Either way, it could be a recipe for disaster.

If a member seems to be struggling with something, and an older member wishes to mentor that member of his own decision, that would be better for the site all around.

[Slater]

yeah, I'm all for having accountability partners here, but having sort of counselors... that won't go over well at all. If someone posts something on CAA and someone else does something stupid because of it, then tough. But if CAA makes a claim that there are designated people who are able to help with troubled people and someone does something stupid, I think it's safe to say that CAA would probably be closed down pretty quickly, or at least horribly disfigured.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

I've had my share of mentoring (using it in a light sense, more like talking about issues) and the person pretty much lied to me about a number of topics. It's harder to figure out a person's emotional and/or spiritual level over the internet.