Listening to Youth: What They Really Feel Inside!

We recently ran a workshop with students at a Polytechnic in Himachal Pradesh. Our goal was simple — to understand why young people turn to drugs.

We asked students to work in groups and talk openly. Together, they came up with five things that worry them most:

🎯 Worry about their career
💰 Money problems
👀 “Log kya kahenge” — fear of what people will say
🚺 Freedom for girls
📚 Pressure of studies

What we noticed was powerful. Once students felt safe, they opened up easily. They just needed someone to listen.

We then taught them mindfulness — simple exercises they can do every day to handle stress, anxiety, and low feelings before things get worse.

The lesson is clear. Young people don’t need more lectures. They need real conversations and simple tools they can use in daily life. When we give both, real change happens.