Hannah Brutin: You're never too small to make a big difference

One of the first things you learn as a member of Girlguiding Scotland is that you're never too young to make a difference and that even small steps can lead to big change. This week is #iwill week, a celebration of social action by young people across the UK, so it's an especially good time to remember those simple messages.

Given the way young people are sometimes portrayed it could be easy to imagine our generation doesn’t place much value or time on social action. However, recent research by Volunteer Scotland found that young people (aged 11-18) are actually nearly twice as likely to volunteer as their adult counterparts, and volunteering among young people is increasing over time, with 52 per cent of young people saying they volunteered in 2016, up from just a third in 2009. Far from plugging in our headphones, burying our heads in our smartphones and tuning out the world, our generation is facing today’s challenges head-on and finding new and innovative ways to take action and make our voices heard.

Joining Guides when I was ten showed me early on the power of social action. We started with small projects – planting flowers in our town centre to brighten up the local area, filling shoeboxes with simple toys and toiletries to go to children in need around the world. This project really stuck with me, having seen that a few simple gifts and a handwritten note in a brightly wrapped shoebox could bring a smile to someone’s facing hardship on the other side of the world. Guides showed me that social action doesn’t need to be complicated or require lots of money or time; simply a few hours and basic items enabled me to make a positive difference.

As I got older, Girlguiding offered more opportunities to make a difference. While working towards my Queen’s Guide Award – the highest award you can gain as a young member in Girlguiding – I ran my school’s Fairtrade group, selling Fairtrade products, and did a survey of local businesses to find out which ones stocked Fairtrade and obstacles they faced to selling more Fairtrade items.

Hannah Brutin, Rainbow Leader and Chair of Girlguiding Scotlands Youth Forum

And later, I got the chance to make a difference not just here at home, but around the world too, travelling to Peru and Ghana with other Girlguiding members on social action projects. I was able to work with Girlguiding members in Ghana and Peru to help them create new opportunities for young people in their communities.

Social action helped me discover a passion for helping others that has stuck with me and guided my choices in life. Now I’m studying to become a doctor and I can’t wait to begin a career in which I have the opportunity to help other people when they need it most.

Learning from an early age that I could make a real difference has given me the confidence to pursue this goal plus so much more, from being able to take the lead and work in a team, right down to practical skills from cooking to planning. But most of all it’s shown me how much I can achieve when I follow my passion.

Of course, my social action story is just one of many. With around 50,000 members aged 5 to 25, Girlguiding Scotland is helping a whole generation of girls discover just how powerful they are when they speak up and take action.

Hannah Brutin, Rainbow Leader and Chair of Girlguiding Scotlands Youth Forum

In recent years our young members have taken part in all sorts of social action, from collecting 8,000 pairs of shoes for refugees fleeing conflict in Syria and Iraq to making up washbags of tampons and pads to helping to beat “period poverty” in Scotland. In 2016 some of our young members took part in our first ever Action for Change Inspiration Weekend, hearing from some of the UK’s leading campaigners and developing the skills and confidence to start their own change projects. Since then they’ve gone on to campaign and take action on all sorts of issues and in all sorts of ways, such as starting homework clubs and uniform banks in their local schools, raising thousands for charities they care about, and calling for change on issues including mental health, gender stereotypes, sustainability and accessibility.

Our young members are also helping to support and inspire other girls as Peer Educators, who deliver fun interactive sessions to get girls talking about important topics like body image and mental health. And 
thousands of our young members also volunteer at their local Rainbow, Brownie and Guide units, acting as brilliant role models helping to empower girls to try new things and be their best.

I’m proud to be part of an organisation that sends the message loud and clear to girls and young women that they have the power to make a difference, in their schools, their communities and in the wider world.

In the face of big challenges it’s easy to feel helpless and tempting to ask “what can I do?”

But as #iwill week reminds us, we all have the power to make a change –whatever age we are.

Hannah Brutin, Rainbow Leader and Chair of Girlguiding Scotland’s Youth Forum