When we give young people the space to be who they are

Growing up today is not easy.
Young people carry inner burdens that they often don’t even know how to name.
The feeling of not being enough.
The pressure to know who they are and what they want.
Noise from the outside—and even more from within.

Youth mentoring at the Soma Terra Center does not offer ready-made solutions.
It offers space.
For questions, confusion, silence, anger, and sadness.
For finding their own voice—without shame.

Here, you can read what those who dared to come have discovered through this space.
And to stay.

 

“Honestly, at first I didn’t want to come. I thought it would be like school talks—someone looking down on you and trying to explain how to ‘be better.’ But right at the first session, I felt that I could be myself here—even if that means not knowing who I am. We talked about things I had never said out loud, not even to myself. And there was no pressure. Just silence, questions, and space to feel less lost. For the first time in my life, I began thinking about what I truly want—not what others expect from me. And I started to believe that it’s not wrong to be different. I don’t know where this will take me, but at least now I know I don’t have to go alone."

— Luka, 17 years old

 

For me, this was the only space where I didn’t have to be ‘smart,’ or ‘good,’ or ‘mature’. I could say that everything was suffocating me, that I didn’t know who I was, that I didn’t know why I was trying when nothing seemed to make sense. I didn’t receive advice. I received conversations. Some were difficult, some changed me. I began listening to myself, setting boundaries, and I stopped punishing myself so much for my feelings. The mentoring gave me the freedom to be uncertain—and to start building myself from that. If all young people had a space like this, the world would be a much gentler place."

— Dora, 19 years old

 

“I was in a phase where everything felt overwhelming. School, pressure, the feeling of not being good enough, constant restlessness in my body. I couldn’t explain what was wrong—I only knew I couldn’t go on like this anymore. In the mentoring, I didn’t receive ready-made answers—but for the first time, I felt truly seen, without anyone trying to fix me. Slowly, I began to feel that it’s not wrong to have feelings, that I don’t have to know everything, that I’m allowed to be confused and vulnerable. That changed everything for me. I began building a relationship with myself—not perfect, but real. And that was something no one had been able to give me before. Here, for the first time, I felt that even my inner chaotic place is worthy of respect.

— Client, 18 years old