NGO Sa Suudad operates in both youth advocacy and inclusion.
Young people (especially those who have behaved or are behaving in ways that are hard to understand) often don’t have many opportunities to make their voices truly heard, yet this is incredibly important. We want to listen to what young people truly need and help convey their messages to key stakeholders (e.g., delivering youth messages to decision-makers; spreading youth messages in the media, including social media).
Currently, we are developing the peer support program, designed to support young people aged 10-17 who face difficult challenges in their lives. These challenges may manifest in behaviors such as violence directed at themselves or others, truancy, not staying at home, troubled relationships, or low self-esteem. The program provides them with valuable support and understanding to help them approach the future with more hope.
The core of the program is a peer mentor who offers support and builds a trusting relationship. They are there for the young person, providing guidance and sharing their own experiences when necessary, as they have gone through similar challenges in the past.
We are developing a new youth council aimed at giving young people with fewer opportunities—particularly those who engage or have engaged in high-risk behaviors—a voice in society. We are involving young people who have been in contact with the legal, healthcare, education, and social systems. Through supported guidance and mentorship, they will feel understood, heard, and accepted, and through the youth council process, they will be able to influence the legal, healthcare, education, and social systems to become more child- and youth-friendly. In other words, they will have a chance to contribute to processes that affect their lives.
We are ready to support and train stakeholders involved with young people—such as the young person’s family, specialists working with youth, other adults who interact with young people, and the youth themselves (e.g., social counseling, various training programs, networking).
Our dream is to develop ways to support the young person's loved ones too. We believe that in order to best support a young person, we need to act in a systemic way, i.e. together with the young person and his or her loved ones.
N.B. If you have any ideas (project ideas, ideas for expanding activities, etc.), feel free to contact us: info@sasuudad.ee
