Growing up in Europe: the story of a Guardian
As part of the transnational project CO.A.ST – My Coming of Age Story, we carried out research activities on the protection systems for unaccompanied foreign minors and young adults who have recently come of age in six European countries, with the aim of identifying common challenges and sharing good practices to help strengthen reception and protection pathways.
Within the project, we are collecting stories from different perspectives: both from unaccompanied minors themselves and from the people who are part of their protection and support systems. By bringing together these voices, we aim to shed light on the relationships, challenges, and everyday practices that shape their journeys. Today’s story is told from the perspective of a legal guardian in Slovenia.
In Slovenia, all unaccompanied foreign minors are entitled to a legal guardian who represents them and safeguards their rights. If the minor applies for international protection, their assigned legal guardian supports them throughout the entire procedure. Guardians assist minors in accessing healthcare and education, as well as in matters related to reception conditions and financial entitlements. The role of legal guardian is voluntary and unpaid, although expenses are reimbursed and a small hourly compensation is provided for legal representation. A guardian may represent up to three minors at the same time (or up to five in exceptional cases). Today’s story offers a closer look at the role of a guardian and their experience of protecting and representing young people as they navigate their path in a new country.
The Story of a Legal Guardian
As long as she can remember, Patricia has been interested in the lives of people on the move. She has wondered about their fates, their dreams, their challenges, and their lives. In 2015, when large numbers of people from different countries began arriving in Slovenia, she wanted to help and to become part of their story. Every day she volunteered at the border, sometimes on the Slovenian side, other times on the Croatian side. Every look, every word, and every handshake she received then still stays with her today. For each of them, she hopes they found a safe destination and are living full lives, free from the racism and discrimination that undoubtedly accompanied them at every step of their long journey.
Years later, Patricia learned about the role of legal guardians for unaccompanied minors, and from that moment on it became a great wish of hers - a wish that finally came true in 2021. Shortly afterward, she met the first minors under her care: some (most of them) only for an hour or so, as they soon continued their journey and left Slovenia, and others, those who would remain part of her life forever.
Every meeting with these young people is unique and different, but her goal is always the same: to help them take a small step forward in their lives, to give them a moment and a feeling that someone truly cares about them, and to let them know that they can always count on her. She is happy when some of them write to her months after they met to tell her they are safe. She wishes only the best for each of them, and often, in the evening, when she lies down to sleep, she thinks about them… did Youssef make it to Paris? Did Mohamad find his brother in Italy? Will they find a job for Omar in Slovenia? How will Moussa manage when he comes of age?…
Every unaccompanied minor’s story she hears and comes to know is unique, brave, difficult, and at the same time inspiring. When she takes on the role of guardian, she becomes their protector, their support, and the one who will always fight for them, no matter who stands on the other side. The system, migration policies aimed at deterring arrivals to Europe, stereotypes, prejudice, racism, officials, discrimination, excessively long asylum procedures… none of what defines this reality depends on her, but her role is to try to find a place in this system where they belong, and to help secure their right to start life over again in a country where they feel safe and have opportunities for a better future.
And sometimes, they succeed.
When her ward enrolled in the first year of a secondary medical school in Ljubljana, she was told to keep her expectations modest and to warn the girl that she would probably not complete the year because of the Slovenian language. The girl told her, “I know I can do it. I will study every day. If I don’t finish the year, I will never go to school again.” And she did finish it. Not only did she complete the year, but her grades were good, her Slovenian excellent, and she even wrote an essay in Slovenian. She showed her strength and determination to all who doubted her. Now, at school, they look at her differently. To her guardian, she will forever remain a source of inspiration and strength, and she will remain her ally and friend.
Not all stories have happy endings. Young people are too often ignored, overlooked, exploited, and lost. But Patricia will always fight for their happy endings.