What if we could help people in crisis anytime, anywhere with a simple text message? That's the idea behind Crisis Text Line, a free 24-hour service that connects people in need with trained, volunteer crisis counselors -- "strangers helping strangers around the world, like a giant global love machine," as cofounder and former CEO Nancy Lublin puts it. Learn more about their big plans to expand to four new languages, providing a third of the globe with crucial, life-saving support. (This ambitious plan is a part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.)

Nancy Lublin: Crisis support for the world, one text away

Crisis support for the world, one text away

Crisis Text Line leverages machine learning to prioritize help, ensuring urgent cases like suicide risk are addressed first.

Volunteers, trained in a rigorous program with a 33% pass rate, provide empathetic support from their homes, embodying digital volunteerism.

Strangers globally unite via Crisis Text Line, offering immediate aid in mental health crises, utilizing data-driven counseling.