Daria 20 - LumenaConecto

Interview Daria 20

Daria is 20 years old and needed support to get into work and study after high school.
Thanks to the project, she has received guidance and has applied to the Defence Academy.
She has also appreciated Lumena's group meetings where she has found community with other participants.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?

My name is Daria, I am 20 years old and I have lived in Sweden for about eight years. I will study in the autumn. Right now I work as a care assistant in elderly care and I enjoy helping people.

What was life like before you joined Lumena?

At that time I was a student and I was trying to find a job but I couldn't. I felt that I needed support. I needed to know if I was doing something wrong and wanted to get perspective.

How did you find out that you could apply to Lumena?

I googled and tried to see what the municipality could help with. That's how I found out about the project, got interested and thought it would be good and booked an appointment.

Did you have any support from the municipality or authorities before joining Lumena?

No I didn't, for me the problem was that I was on the verge of turning 19 so the help to get support was limited. I felt quite paralysed because of the lack of support. There is a lot of support for younger and older people but not for me to get into the labour market.

What kind of treatment did you receive when you were admitted to Lumena, can you tell us a bit about it?

First, I had a meeting with all the caseworkers and I told them a little about my situation and how we could work together. The reception I received was lovely, everyone wanted to help and it felt very good.

The reception I received was lovely, everyone wanted to help and it felt very good

Have you been involved in deciding what support you wanted and what services you would receive?

Yes, quite a lot, I felt during the second and third meeting that I could control what I needed. It started with the fact that I needed help looking for a job, and I hadn't received career counselling when it came to studies. I've got that help now and it feels much easier also in terms of my mental health.

So you feel it has improved your mental wellbeing too, if I understand correctly?

Yes, you feel more secure, you have a person you can talk to. Today it's good, I have a great family, I have great friends, but sometimes there are things that can be difficult to talk about. In Lumena I can tell them, I feel safe and I get a lot of support.

Yes, you feel more secure, you have a person you can talk to

You said at the beginning that you had trained as a nurse, how did that happen?

I wasn't trained as a nurse, but I took a health care course. After I finished high school, I also tried to get into college but didn't manage to get into the programme I wanted to do because there were so many applicants. That's when I took the wellness course, it gave me a foundation to stand on and knew more what I wanted to do in the future, to study criminology. My tutor also helped me a lot. Right now I'm working as a care assistant, I've done training at my workplace.

Are you happy?

Yes, I help people with everyday life and they are grateful and it feels good, I hope I am an asset, positive and happy.

Will you be applying for a programme in the future?

Yes, I have. I've applied to the Defence College, it's a very interesting field. It's good if you want to work in defence and in different crisis situations.

What was it that got you interested in it?

The project made me interested, I want to help people. I have been helped myself and I want to do the same for others.

The project made me interested, I want to help people

Is there anything in the project that could be improved and what has been particularly good?

Everything is good, I get the help I need and am supported according to my needs and also have a good supervisor I can contact. For myself, there is nothing that needs improvement.

It has also been good to meet other people who have been involved in the project, meet in groups and be able to talk to each other. It has been important to see myself in other people, that I am not alone and have also made friends. There is a community that is good.

What have you discussed in the group meetings?

How young people can make a difference and what the needs are for young people my age, what we want to do in the future and what resources might be needed.

What resources do you think might be needed?

We need money and we also need people working in the municipality who can understand what is needed for young people. Adults do not understand what the needs are.

Money is needed, as well as people working in the municipality who can understand what is needed for young people. Adults do not understand what the needs are

What is it like to be young in Sweden today?

There are challenges in meeting friends after high school and maintaining contact with the friends I made at school.

Do you have a message for policy makers and other organisations that can help decide, influence and make sound decisions?

It is important to get information from organisations that can help you if you fall through the cracks. It would be good if information could be found on social media, for example.

It is important to get information from organisations that can help you if you fall through the cracks

One thing that struck me - do you think it would be useful to have courses in high school where you can get guidance and what support you can get?

It would be great to have a lecture because sometimes you don't know what information you need when you finish high school.

Vocational counsellors at school can be difficult to get support from. You have to make an appointment and the counsellor wasn't always there, so I didn't get that need met.

What are your hopes for the future?

I have high hopes for the future, I want to continue studying, living life and spending time with my loved ones.