{"id":3318,"date":"2026-04-14T13:33:43","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T13:33:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sasuudad.ee\/?page_id=3318"},"modified":"2026-04-14T14:55:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T14:55:57","slug":"hoia-mind-kaisus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.sasuudad.ee\/en_us\/hoia-mind-kaisus\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cHold Me Close\u201d collaborative project"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the past four years, documentary filmmaker and youth artist Marta Vaarik and her team have been developing the participatory art project \u201cHold Me Close\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In August 2026, an exhibition of the same name will open in the courtyard of the Kumu Art Museum, focusing on young people\u2019s mental health, the impact of childhood, and the importance of empathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is this project necessary?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In today\u2019s urban environment, many young people are left to cope with their problems on their own. The sense of community is weakening, people are less attentive to one another, and people tend to judge each other based on first impressions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cHold Me Close\u201d project helps break down these barriers.
It encourages us to look deeper\u2014to see beyond a person\u2019s behavior and understand their story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is especially important when it comes to young people who engage in risky behavior. Often, a tough or aloof exterior hides pain, loss, or loneliness. If you really look people in the eye, you\u2019ll find that most of them are actually nice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the same story with the young people in secure juvenile facilities who exhibit risky behavior. They\u2019re loud, energetic, and sometimes the kind of guys who swear like crazy, but when Marta and her team sit down for a one-on-one interview with a 16-year-old boy, he suddenly turns into a four-year-old child whose father died and whose mother moved in with a new man the very next day, leaving him home alone for two weeks. .

The exhibition, created in collaboration with the Kumu Art Museum, is a major part of the documentary film of the same name set to premiere in 2027, which tells the stories of these young people\u2019s lives. Funding for the documentary has been secured. The aim of the exhibition is to give these young people the opportunity to be heard, to take the lead and think for themselves\u2014and thereby create their own art. It has been proven that if a young person exhibiting risky behavior has even one supportive adult who believes in a better future for them, their future will actually improve.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We believe\u2014help us believe, and please start believing yourself!

If you donate money, Marta Vaarik\u2019s team can bring young people\u2019s ideas to life\u2014for example, by making a real action movie with the boys so they can see that there are other ways to get a thrill besides drinking and fighting. There are completely safe and legal ways\u2014such as filmmaking, art, and creating music. The youth art projects in need of support take various forms: short films, photography, music videos,
installations, sculptures, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All nine of these works will be on display in the courtyard of the Kumu Art Museum in an exhibition curated by Anders H\u00e4rm. Admission to the exhibition is FREE<\/strong> for everyone. We are creating opportunities for leisure activities at the exhibition to bring together art lovers and young people, so that we can all feel comfortable there while viewing uncomfortable art..

The opening of the Kumu exhibition is the final scene of our documentary\u2014the moment
when we see the faces of the young people featured in the film for the first time, all together, among the crowd, alongside the President of Estonia, influencers, politicians, and YOU<\/strong>!

After all, we live here like in a small village; everyone knows everyone\u2014we look out for one another as a community should, and together we are building a better future for everyone. Your support helps us change the world. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Children are the most vulnerable people in the world, and they have the right to be respected, listened to, and loved.

The non-profit organization Sa Suudad is a partner of the \"Hoia mind kaisus\" team in raising charitable funds.

Mittetulundus\u00fching Sa Suudad
IBAN: EE587700771010145417
Reference: Hoia Mind Kaisus<\/strong>

If you\u2019d like to donate more money or join us on a day of filming, or if you have any ideas or questions, please feel free to contact us. If you\u2019d like, we can send you a video preview of the film in production.

tel: +372 5340 4940
email: martavaarik@gmail.com
Marta Vaarik, Juri Krutii and the Hoia Mind Kaisus team<\/strong>

All donations will be used exclusively to support youth creative projects within the framework of the statutory objectives of the NGO Sa Suudad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Donation starting at \u20ac5,000<\/strong>

Opportunity to attend a private screening of the film\u2019s premiere for sponsors,
name or logo in the film\u2019s end credits and on all media materials related to the exhibition, invitations to the exhibition opening at the Kumu Art Museum, and acknowledgments in the opening speech.

Donation starting at \u20ac2,000<\/strong>

Opportunity to have your name or company name listed in the film\u2019s end credits and invitations to the exhibition opening.

Donation starting at \u20ac100<\/strong>

Opportunity to have your name listed in the end credits of the film \u201cHold Me Close.\u201d

100% of all donations go toward:<\/strong>

creating works by young people;
working with young people outside of KLAT;
conducting educational programs;
a public awareness campaign;
a follow-up program,
which supports young people\u2019s self-realization.
<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Brief descriptions of works created by young people:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. \u201cHiding\u201d (music video)<\/strong>
    Original music + a production exploring the theme of gender identity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. \u201cSlippers\u201d (short film)<\/strong>
    A story about girls who turn the manipulation of adult men to their own advantage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. \u201cI Have Nowhere to Go\u2026\u201d (documentary-hybrid film)<\/strong>
    The night the boys escaped from KLAT and drove through southern Estonia in stolen cars.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. \u201cOvervoltage\u201d (photo installation)<\/strong>
    A photo installation exploring experiences of bullying and social isolation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. \u201cBalance\u201d (documentary photographs)<\/strong>
    Black-and-white photographs in frames made by the young artist herself.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. \u201cHope\u201d (autobiographical film)<\/strong>
    A film about a journey through the darkest corners of life.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. \u201cDog\u201d (sculpture)<\/strong>
    A life-size dog on a chain\u2014a symbol of restrictive care and, at the same time, of cherished friendship.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. \u201cThings That Hurt\u201d (sculpture)<\/strong>
    A vertical bed with objects attached to it that can be used to injure oneself.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. \u201cFear\u201d (photos)<\/strong>
    The work explores bodily memory.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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    Previous media coverage of the \u201cHold Me Close\u201d exhibitions (from the perspective of the project involving the previous collaboration between Marta Vaarik and Enelis Linnas, the leader of the NGO Sa Suudad):<\/p>\n\n\n\n