Mark, Jannick and Suleman. Young people who have all lived in Høje Gladsaxe all their lives and who are active in Young to Young (Ung til Ung). What they all have in common is that Young to Young has played a big role in their lives over the past 2 years.

Jannick (22 years old) has lived in Høje Gladsaxe all his life. He has always loved living out there and until he turned 18 he spent much of his time at the local youth club. When he turned 18, there was no longer room for him and he started hanging out at the centre.
One day one of his friends lured him to a Young to Young meeting and he was hooked. From the start, Jannick has been in charge of the cooking, whether it was for a big theatre production or when there is a market day in Høje Gladsaxe, where he is responsible for the grill.

‘It has made me a bit more grown up, I'm not as shy as I used to be and I've learnt to control my temper, which I had big problems with before. It's also meant that I've got to know a lot of people and become part of a community.
Today, Jannick is an apprentice chef. In addition to his education, Jannick has been employed at the Fair Play club, where he cooks once a week with the other young people in the club.

 

Suleman (16) grew up in Høje Gladsaxe. He is part of the first Pakistani family that came to Høje Gladsaxe in 1971 and he loves living there. He describes the tall concrete blocks as a small village where everyone knows everyone and where young people look out for each other. When he grows up he wants to live here himself, but this summer he's going to try living somewhere else. He's going to continuation school.
Before Suleman started in Young to Young, he wasn't very sociable. He played cricket, went to school and after school he went home. But that's no longer the case. Young to Young has opened up new friendships and he has started using many more facilities in the area, such as the Fair Play club.
‘First and foremost, you get to know yourself by being involved in Youth to Youth. You can only save the world if you start with yourself. We need to get to know our own skills and weaknesses before we can do something for others. I wasn't very strong at school, but when I started coming here I realised there were other things I could do. And my teacher at school also says that I've become more outgoing.

 

Mark (22 years old) has lived in Høje Gladsaxe all his life. For the first few years he lived in the high-rise blocks, but later he moved to the low-rise blocks where he now lives with his father. When he thinks back to his childhood in Høje Gladsaxe, he particularly remembers the sense of community. New Year's Eve was celebrated together in the block and everyone knew each other. But that's not the case today, says Mark and describes how the community has disappeared. The elderly are afraid to go outside and the residents no longer get to know each other. Mark wants to change that.
Mark himself describes that before Young to Young he was a very quiet person who often sat at home in front of his computer. After he was kicked out of high school, he suffered from depression and it wasn't until a couple of good friends lured him to a Young to Young meeting that he felt better. He got something he was passionate about: ‘Young to Young gave me a new approach to life. I was motivated to do something, for example when the refugee crisis came.

Today, Mark is in the process of completing upper secondary school and dreams of studying biochemistry. When asked if he wants to stay in Høje Gladsaxe, he replies: ‘Høje Gladsaxe has my heart and this is where I belong. But there is a lot to improve and I would like to be a part of that.’