Who are the young people who participated in the Sendero Joven pilot project? And, above all, what has this experience meant for them? Some decided to open their hearts and share their impressions.
Last year, in Argentina, AMU started the Sendero Joven pilot project for young people recovering from drug addiction. The project involved vulnerable young people from Buenos Aires and Tucuman, and was carried out in cooperation with the ‘Fazendas de la Esperanza’ refuge centres.
Some of the participants generously shared their impressions.
The work done on feelings was valuable and constructive: “Talking about emotions gave me the ability to recognise them, accept them and feel them freely. I also think my self-esteem is improving, I am learning to love myself as I am, and to accept my life and my pain. And now I am trying to appreciate and strengthen my positive sides”.
The way we look at others and the way we relate to one another in the group has also been the subject of discussion and has changed. M. recounts: “I befriended a boy and we got along very well. One day I saw that he was very quiet, that he had drifted away. I tried to imagine why, but he was elusive and I couldn’t talk to him. With the communications workshop I learnt lots of things, including assertive communication; so I wanted to try again and went to look for my friend to clarify things. In fact, we had each mistakenly imagined things about the other that were not true. We cleared it up, and it was lovely. By talking about it we saved our friendship”. 
The ability to listen has become one of the key points for getting to know oneself and those on the same path: ‘When we are together I realise that I always talk more than the others, I hardly give anyone any space to talk. I then remembered what we had heard at the workshop on communication and thought about giving space by listening. Doing this I saw that I could get to know the others better”.