Stella Grahek said she found her voice through her peacebuilding work. ‘I can say now that I am my own person. Seven years ago, I was just like a puppet adapted to the space where you put her.’ She said that as a child who struggled with dyslexia, she was often criticised and labelled lazy. She escaped this toxic environment when she went to university, which led her to recognise the importance of youth safe spaces. Motivated by her experiences with sexism as a female archer in Slovenia, she studied political science to address societal injustices. Her journey with the Slovenian Falcons Youth Union began as a volunteer and culminated in her election as president at age 22 after five years of active involvement.

Through her work, Stella learned the value of listening to others and expressing her own opinions. She said, ‘If you want to make a change, you first have to listen. If you can listen, you can understand where people are standing, and from there, you can start to build something. I see that in my daily life. I’m a much better listener now, and I really like that because I learn something new every day. I’ve also learned that it’s okay not to know everything.’

One of the Slovenian Falcons’ flagship projects is its annual summer camp for children aged 6–18. While the idea stems from their umbrella organisation, the IFM-SEI International Falcons Movement, the Slovenian branch tailored the camps to emphasise values like societal participation. ‘We were just a group of young people thinking about the barriers we face and those caused by divisions among different national groups. We wanted to overcome them.’ Stella’s aim is to create a more inclusive world, and she is particularly focused on expanding the organisation’s reach to rural areas of Slovenia. The positive impact of their efforts is evident in children who return to the summer camps year after year, finding in them a safe haven. She said, ‘You actually touch their hearts and help them find peace within themselves – it’s amazing.’

One of the organisation’s biggest challenges is the high cost of hosting summer camps. To ensure accessibility for children from less privileged backgrounds, the organisation developed a solidarity payment scheme, allowing parents to contribute to another child’s fee. Although the youth-led nature of the organisation sometimes causes initial scepticism among parents, who are hesitant to entrust their children to young leaders, by fostering dialogue and highlighting the learning opportunities available, the organisation has built credibility over time.

Stella said that lack of credibility was a challenge she often faced as a young leader. She said, ‘I hated the connotation people gave me – “Oh, you’re so young, you don’t understand. Let me explain!” I faced that quite a lot.’ Despite this, she has a strong support network, including her team and her parents, who make an effort to understand her activism. Her advice to young peacebuilders is to take pride in small accomplishments and not take criticism personally. ‘You will get reactions from people, but they’re not personally attacking you. You need to understand that in order to protect your mental health.’