Young People’s Participation. Группа авторов

      Note: Barwarqo’s journey map has, in agreement with Barwaqo, been redrawn by an artist. The colours on Barwaqo’s map did not work well in print and when given the chance, she preferred that the drawing be made by a professional.

      I’ve drawn a suitcase that is open. The suitcase contains various things that represent what I have gained by being part of Tingbjerg Youth Community. I’ve included a key because it can open many doors and opportunities, which is something I think our youth community does. When we come together in larger groups of people, we can do more.

      Sometimes I’ve had a feeling that I was the only one who felt like just another number in the statistics about marginalised housing areas. I used to associate Tingbjerg with something negative because Tingbjerg was labelled a ghetto, which implies a feeling of being unwanted. I feel like I’ve been put in the same boat as everyone else who lives here – that we are all criminals, we can’t speak Danish, we’re all on unemployment benefits. I have to constantly prove that I’m able and that I’m not different. That’s why I didn’t tell people that I lived in Tingbjerg, because they might react negatively. I discovered that we are young people with one of Denmark’s most controversial addresses – and that is something beyond our control. But the community has helped give me the courage to stand up and talk about it, and it has become something that I’m proud of. We’re a group of young people who have had the same problems and who actually choose to share our thoughts and experiences with the world. Because there are probably a lot of people who are also going around with the same thoughts, but they just don’t know what they can do about it. So, in that sense, I think it opens a lot of doors, because now we’re going out and meeting with a ton of people and talking about being a young person in Tingbjerg, and we’re also inviting people to Tingbjerg.

      I’ve also put a magnifying glass in the suitcase, because instead of just looking at people like they were statistics, we actually get close to people and see them as the people they actually are. And I’ve drawn a pencil because I like to write and I keep a diary. I also use my diary to write about the things I experience in the youth community. For example, when I think a meeting was interesting, I like to go home and write about it and reflect on what we’ve done, and what I actually think about it.

      And I’ve included a stethoscope – the tool a doctor uses to listen to your heart. I drew that because I don’t feel like we listen to what people say any more. But if we actually listen to what other young people say and to our own feelings, then we’ll become more attentive to listening with our hearts – listening in a way where I’m attentive and actually try to put myself in your shoes. I’ve also drawn a handshake, which is just about the fact that there’s always such a strong focus on viewing us as different. But I think that when we’re in the youth community, we’re all equal. We give each other the same handshake, or we hug each other or something like that. That’s what the handshake is about. I’ve also written some words in the suitcase. I’ve written ‘family’, and that’s because in the youth community we’ve grown very close to each other and we share a lot of things with each other. And I’ve written ‘courage’ because I think it can be really hard to share your stories. But it helps that there’s a group of people who tell you that you can. That gives you the courage to do it. On the top of the suitcase I’ve written ‘dream’ because I also have dreams – what I want to achieve – in the suitcase. Without my dreams of making a difference for other young people, I don’t think that I would have been a part of this. My hope for a better world is the essence of my dreams.

      The next thing in my drawing is an arrow pointing to myself standing with the suitcase. That is to show that all of the things in the suitcase are things that I carry with me. And with the suitcase in hand, I am approaching a mountain.

      The mountain is a little bit hard to explain, because it’s a lot about the process of participating in the Frontrunners programme and in the youth community. Fighting for a cause and wanting to make a change. And sometimes you can make it all the way to the top. And when things are at their best you can share your stories and people listen to what you say. But you also come down again. For me, it’s not just about reaching the top and doing something particularly brave and cool. You also have to remember to come down again, back to where you started – so you don’t forget yourself and don’t forget why you wanted to climb the mountain. When you’re down at the bottom, it can also be about just feeling down and maybe doubting yourself and thinking that you’re never going to succeed in making a difference. But you have to be able to manage being up at the top and down at the bottom, so that you’re strong throughout the journey.

      And then there are some words in the mountain. I have chosen some slightly random words, but they show some of the things that I think you get out of being part of the youth community. You know, courage, joy, being able to change something. That it’s a common cause. And then the fact that it takes time. It just takes time to participate and sometimes it’s hard attending a ton of meetings or doing a ton of things with school and work and so on. We organised a festival here in Tingbjerg where people could meet and people from outside Tingbjerg could come and see what it’s like to live here. To see that it’s not like some people might think. And 500 people came to the festival. But it was a ton of work and I spent a lot of time. But I always think about the fact that I’m actually helping to make a difference and some kind of change, or that I’m helping to bring joy to some people. So these words are the words that keep me going – even when I feel like I don’t have very much time, I can find the time to do the things I want to do.

      The last word I wrote was ‘development’. In a way, this is a bit selfish. It’s about my desire to develop as a person. After I’ve been a part of the youth community for a while, I want to be able to see that I’ve learned and evolved in some way – and perhaps that I’ve also gained some new skills. That I’ve reflected on some new things that I hadn’t before. I can see that I’ve come a long way from where I was a year ago. I’ve be a part of organising Tingbjerg Festival and we actually got a lot of young people to meet each other. I want to be able to see the results of the things I’ve done and the changes inside me. I’ve actually changed a lot personally, because I had never dared stand out before. I’m a bit introverted, so I think it’s hard to meet new people and then just tell them what I think and believe. If you met me two years ago, I would have been completely different. But the Frontrunner programme helped me a lot and now I have the courage to be more outgoing and the strength to share my story.

      Our work on talking about things like experiencing discrimination and inequality has made me strong. It’s not something you otherwise talk about. It’s mostly something you hide or try to forget about