This article is published in number 16 of Vanity Fair on newsstands until April 20, 2021
When was the last time you felt like you were really being listened to? It’s a simple question; the answer is much less so. Although only twenty-two, Koki Ozora must have understood this. He studies in Tokyo, and has created a non-profit organization: Anata no Ibasho, which means “A place for you”. It is based on an online volunteer service: a team willing to listen to people in need, especially in the toughest hours, between midnight and dawn.
For urgent requests, a response within five seconds is guaranteed. Ozora lived through a tiring adolescence, between loneliness and depression, and finds that in his country the difference between a healthy ability to be alone and forms of total, desperate isolation is not clear to many. Recently, following the health crisis, a minister of solitude has been appointed in Japan, following the British example. Almost 21,000 people committed suicide last year, mostly women.
To the numbers of Anata no Ibasho over one hundred messages arrive a day. Those who hate themselves, those who can’t handle the pressure at work, those who struggle with raising their children: people tend to blame themselves for everything, and Ozora says you shouldn’t deny their feelings, nor give the feeling of wanting to find a solution quickly. He was lucky enough, when he was in high school, to meet a special teacher: the first adult, he says, he could trust. The first who wondered why that pupil never laughed. “It was my miracle, without him I wouldn’t be here.” He wants to continue studying, taking care of public health and building a happy family. Or at least normal, the one he never had. And in the meantime he tries to give back something of the miracle that saved him: the simple miracle of someone who listens to you seriously.
To subscribe to Vanity Fair, click here.

Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.