“Future You”: Helping Young People Explore Their Path through Real Conversations

Author: Kamila Golod

Photographer: Rimas Kaminskas

“Future You” is a free mentorship platform for young people who want to better understand themselves, find direction, and talk to mentors from different fields. On the platform, young people can choose mentors based on the areas that interest them – business, learning, life path, creativity or career – and start a conversation with someone whose experience feels relevant or interesting to them.  

We speak with Daniel Golod, a 17-year-old student and the founder of “Future You”, about how this initiative was born and how it can benefit a young person. 

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How did the idea for “Future You” come about? What inspired you most? 
I think the idea didn’t come as a single moment, it grew slowly, from a feeling that something is missing. When you’re young, everyone starts asking “So, what are you going to do?” but the truth is, you don’t even fully know yourself yet. I was surrounded by information like career tests, articles, videos, but none of it felt real. It felt distant. Abstract. Almost like trying to understand life by reading about it instead of living it. 

What I was actually looking for was simple: a real person, a real conversation, a real story. When I realised that something so simple didn’t exist in a structured, accessible way for young people, that’s when the idea for “Future You” started to take shape. 

Was there a specific problem that pushed you to start this project? 
Yes, and it was very personal. You can Google anything, but you still don’t feel what that path is like. You don’t hear about doubts, mistakes, or the moments people almost quit. Without those honest layers, young people are making decisions based on incomplete stories because we’re not choosing from reality. We’re choosing from expectations. “Future You” started as an attempt to bring reality back into the process. 

What is “Future You” and how does it work? 
Future You is, at its core, a space for conversation. It’s a mentorship platform www.futureyou.lt for young people aged 14+, where they can connect with mentors from areas like business, learning, life path, creativity, and career. A student comes in with curiosity or confusion. They choose someone whose path feels interesting and then they talk. No pressure. No fixed script. No expectation to ‘decide your future in one session.’ Just a real conversation. 

How does “Future You” help students? 
Self-understanding comes from reflection. When you hear someone else’s journey, their choices and struggles, you start reflecting on your own. You notice what resonates, what doesn’t, what feels exciting or heavy. At the same time, professions become real. Not just titles like ‘doctor’ or ‘designer’ but actual lives, routines, and challenges. When you talk to someone who has lived that path, the unknown becomes clearer and clarity creates calm. 

So instead of choosing from pressure, students start choosing from understanding. 

Do you have any examples of how it has helped young people? 
We’ve had dozens of mentor–mentee conversations, and what stands out is what students realise. 

One student understood that a career they were considering was different than they thought and required different skills. Another said it was the first time someone explained a profession without idealizing it. These are small shifts, but they change direction. 

What role can this platform play in education? 
Career education often focuses on information. “Future You” adds experience. It creates a bridge between school and real life. 

Students don’t just hear about careers, they experience real conversations and that changes the quality of their questions because once a student has had a real interaction, their questions become deeper, more personal, and more meaningful. That’s where real guidance begins. 

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“Future You” invites young people to explore different life and career paths through real conversations with mentors. This kind of mentorship can help them see professions and choices not as abstract titles, but as real human experiences that support a better understanding of their own direction. 

You can find the “Future You” platform at: http://futureyou.lt/