A 50-meter-high slackline was stretched from the tower of St. Nicholas' Church to the top of the Town Hall tower for Roose to walk along. Hundreds of people came out onto the streets of the capital to cheer Roose on.

The wind was strong, meaning Roose had a difficult start.

"When I got 50 meters away from Niguliste, I realized that the wind was pushing me from behind with strong gusts, which made me feel like I ought to walk faster. There is a lot of turbulence near the roofs and trees, and right now there are also clouds and the sun keeps coming and going," said Roose.

Roose was able to fulfill his dream thanks to a nationwide initiative, which took place this spring and summer, whereby more than 6,000 people wrote down over 13,000 dreams. Children, young people, and adults alike all shared their own personal dreams, as well as thoughts about the kind of Estonia they want to live in. The project's initiator Eva Truuverk, believes dreaming is extremely important in difficult times.

"One of my main motivations was the feeling that young people today are finding it increasingly difficult to get up in the morning, go to school, and find a reason to develop. This sense of anxiety has become so widespread that it feels like the world is about to end. We need a shared vision, we need to believe that planet Earth, the country of Estonia, and all of us here will still be around in 2050. We need a shared understanding of what motivates us to do what we do every day," said Truuverk.

Once collected, the dreams submitted were analyzed using A.I. to get an overview of Estonians' hopes for the year 2050.

"The results are very diverse, but some things can be highlighted. Estonians dream of a peaceful environment, social security and, of course, a natural environment. Around 67 percent of Estonians dream of having less technology and more human contact," said Otto Mätas, a doctoral student at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech).

Roose promised that once his heart rate has slowed down, he will immediately start dreaming again.

"It can take years. A dream or idea for a project does not have to be realized tomorrow; it can sit on the shelf for a year or two, or even three. I have had lost od ideas, thoughts, and projects like that, which may or may not happen. Maybe it will happen in 2050. So, it will happen then," said Roose.

The results of the project will be summarized in interactive "Estonian Dream Atlas," which can be accessed and used freely by anyone who wishes, including policymakers, entrepreneurs and researchers.

The dreams of Estonians will continue to be collected on the website "Hakkab Looma" until August 20.

More information about the "Hakkab Looma" initiative is available (in Estonian) here.

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