There’s a quiet emotion many young people carry towards the end of the year but rarely talk about. That emotion is hesitation. Not because they don’t want more for themselves, but because hoping again feels risky.
When you’ve tried before, and things didn’t work out, when you’ve put yourself out there and felt overlooked. When life hasn’t been fair or predictable. Starting again doesn’t feel exciting. It feels vulnerable.
At Proudtobeme, we meet young people right in that space. Not the highlight-reel moments, but the in-between ones, the moments filled with doubt, questions, and uncertainty about the future.
We have learned something important: young people don’t lack dreams. They lack permission. Permission to fail without being labelled. Permission to grow without being rushed. Permission to dream without being laughed at.
Too often, young people are told to “be confident” without being shown how. They’re encouraged to “aim high” without being given the tools, support, or safety to try.
That’s why our work goes beyond skills and workshops. We create spaces where young people can breathe. Where they can admit they’re unsure. Where they can say, “I don’t know what’s next, but I want to believe there is something.”
Hope doesn’t always arrive loudly. Sometimes it comes as a quiet decision: I won’t give up on myself.
As this year ends, we want young people to know this:
You are allowed to start again, even if you’re tired. You are permitted to hope again, even if you’ve been disappointed. You are allowed to move forward, even if you’re unsure how.
At Proudtobeme, we will stand in that gap between where young people are and where they hope to be, reminding them that their story is not over and that their future is still unfolding.
New beginnings don’t require perfection. They need permission, and we are here to give it.
