SWEDEN As Elina came to the meeting point centre Enter, run by Stockholm city mission, she was unemployed, periodically homeless since several years and suffering from drug abuse. At Enter she received adult support, but most importantly, she gained the power to change her situation.

– I would never be where I am today without Enter, Elina says.

Today she lives in the small Swedish town of Gävle, goes to high school and has a well functioning relationship with her family. A few years ago, the situation was completely different. Elina had not been living at home for many years, she was depressed and had problems with drugs. She had been in contact with the social services, but felt they didn''t take her seriously. At Enter everything was different.

– The feeling was to step into something that was normal. Nobody asked me what my problem was. I was allowed to take my time, talking about my situation.

A CALM PLACE

Enter is run by the Stockholm city mission, and is financed through donations. Childhood has been a donor since 2005. Their premises at Södermannagatan in Stockholm looks like one of the many cosy cafés in the southern part of the city, with soft couches, colourful pillows, books and young people hanging out talking about life. The purpose with Enter is to offer a place where young girls at risk can spend time when they feel like it. When someone needs to talk, social workers and psychologists are there for support. But wanting to be left alone is also ok. Girls and staff cook together, do handicrafts, read and make excursions. Around 40 girls between 13 and 20 years visit the centre every month, more or less regularly.

– Society expects young people to ask for help themselves and tell about their difficult situations. But these young girls are not crying out for help, the big challenge is to find them, says manager Lotta Corell.

IT DOESN´T SHOW ON THE OUTSIDE

Elina heard about Enter from her psychologist when she was 16 years old. But a year passed by until she visited the centre.

– The first day I stayed until they closed. The second and the third day as well, she says.

For two years Elina regularly came to Enter. She got support in her contacts with the social services, help in seeking treatment for her drug abuse and counselling together with her family. Now, she has left the difficult years behind her, but still returns to Enter once in a while.

– I want to give something back to Enter by telling my story. I was a nice pretty teenage girl, and never told anyone about my reality. Nobody ever noticed how difficult my life was. It doesn''t always show on the outside when someone is having a hard time, she says.

REPLICATING ENTER

Recently Enter opened a new centre in Malmö, in the south of Sweden. The centre is financed partly by World Childhood Foundation.

– The unique thing about Enter is that the staff is assigned to work with the young person as a commissioner. The staff starts off by building a relationship with every girl which makes it possible for them to continue working with the network around the girl, says Gisela Ivarsson at Childhood. In the end, by meeting the girls on their level, and making sure that they get what they need, Enter is proving that it is a successful project.

Text: Maja Svenonius

PHOTOS:

At the top: Lotta Corell, director at Enter, with one of the girls at the centre.

In the middle: And Enter, girls at risk are provided with a calm and supporting atmosphere.

On the bottom: A poster made by one of the girls at Enter.