#YouthOfUNESCO: Empowered by Mindfulness
UNESCO Youth
”My life had a rough start in Lithuania. I grew up as a ‘a child of independence’. This is how all children born after the collapse of the Soviet Union are called. As a child, I saw violence, as a rebellious teenager, I hung out with gangsters, and I suffered from anorexia and bulimia. My experiences were difficult, but back then I learned the importance of listening to people’s stories without judgement. When I was sick, I found mindfulness and meditation, which empowered me to follow my dreams. Now, I’m a mindfulness teacher and I teach personal development and self-healing. Mindfulness is a part of the philosophy of life.”
“For many years, I was hiding my real story, because I was afraid of judgement, but now I feel healthy, happy and willing to share it. My story will be published in a book called ‘A Mile in our Shoes: Stories of our Global Journeys’ among other 11 powerful stories of young women. Because of my personal experiences and to combine my two passions, youth empowerment and mindfulness, I co-started the Youth2Youth Initiative. I wanted to make sure that every single young person on this planet has a voice. While observing the problems in my country, I was motivated to create social change and enhance the well-being of young citizens.”
“At Youth2Youth, our vision is to inspire and guide youth to become community leaders across the world. We organize for them international summits, summer schools on social entrepreneurship and project management. We give workshops on themes, such as #InterculturalDialogue and preventing violent extremism. Young people need to have a platform to share their ideas and thoughts in a healthy way and get equipped with skills to become decision-makers.”
- Karolina Mazetyte, co-founder and CEO of Youth2Youth Initiative, co-author of ‘A mile in our Shoes: Stories of our Global Journeys’ and speaker at UNESCO’s World Philosophy Day.
