It’s Day 4 of #IWillWeek 2024! The theme today is ‘Against the odds – The experiences and struggles of influencing change’. #IWill Ambassador Niamh Mackenize’s blog is all about about some of the difficulties she has had to face during her social action journey.
It’s #IWillWeek 2024! Today is Day 4: Against the odds – The experiences and struggles of influencing change. I am going to be writing about some of the difficulties I have faced during my social action journey.
My name is Niamh and I am one of the 2023 #IWill ambassadors. I started my social action journey just after COVID -19 when I started as a Youth Action Group member for RespectMe. I had been a part of various volunteering roles within my school but always felt as though I wasn’t getting to make the change that I envisioned. I think that this came down to me feeling scared. After going through difficult experiences when I was younger, my confidence was diminished and I started relying strongly on what other people thought of me. When I started my volunteering journey, a lot of people at my school laughed at me for speaking out about my experiences and working to make a change for others. This seems to be an issue for many young people in social action, as volunteering is seen as ‘not cool’ for young people to spend their free time doing.
I think it is crazy that young people can be bullied and talked out of creating change. After a long time of trying to rebuild my confidence, I finally started to push myself to continue with my passion instead of caring what people thought of me and I am so happy that I did. The friends I have made through youth social action are incredible and have supported me through every step of my journey. That would be my main message for anyone worried about starting to volunteer – it is so worth it. You find your own people, the people that have the same interests as you, the same passion for change as you. They inspire you and help you in bringing your ideas to life.
A lot of volunteers and I also struggled with the balance of volunteering and school or work life. Charities and organisations are aware of how stressful school can get sometimes and want to be there for you in anyway that they can. Please never let this put you off following your dreams. Charities will understand if you are unable to take part in an event due to having an exam or an essay due soon after. Volunteering is when you are able to help, it is not a job that you have to fully commit to. An hour a week helping at your local charity shop makes the biggest difference to your community and also to your own confidence.
I also know that a lot of people have struggled with their family understanding the work that they do. It may be a good idea to sit down with these family members and explain the work that you do and the impact that it is having on your community or nationally. This means that you are getting to educate someone on a topic that you are extremely passionate about and are making other people aware of the importance of youth social action!
This #IWillWeek, I hope all young people know that despite any adversity they have faced, they can still make a difference in someone else’s life. This is always a solution to a challenge and through working to overcome these barriers, you are developing your resilience and determination. Young people are amazing and have the power to change the world. They should never feel restricted in achieving their goals and following their dreams.
Written by Niamh Mackenize