This week is #iwillWeek, a week celebrating youth social action coordinated by the #iwill Campaign for which I am a 2019 Ambassador. You can read more about the campaign here and read my case study profile here. In a similar post to this one, I wrote specifically about being a Scout and this week I also had a post published on the #iwill site about inclusive social action.

Today for #iwillWeek the theme is evaluating impact, and with that no only comes looking at data, but stories as well. Some of us who are part of the most vulnerable groups of young people have found our home and life and passions within social action, and it’s so important that this is recognised.

I talk about parts of my story quite often, but in case you don’t know much about me – I was ten years old when I lost my best friend and began to find out that something was wrong with my body, and I was spending a lot of time in therapy and waiting rooms. It wasn’t really until I was in Year 9 that things really started to turn for me though, with me beginning to have panic attacks and starting my time in CAMHS. In Year 10 I went into a mental health unit for 4 months and in the same year, I became significantly more chronically ill and began to identify with the label “disabled”, as well as being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

There wasn’t really a proper start to my social action virtually – I’ve been tweeting about politics, mental health and LGBTQ+ issues since I was about thirteen, and blogged on and off about the topics too. It not only helped me with my identities, but let me support others and understand them. I love online activism because it gives me a purpose, especially in times when I can’t move from my room due to the pain I’m in.

My favourite part of my social action, though, is volunteering – and that’s what really changed my life and continues to do so. I began working with the Cub Scouts a month after I came out of the inpatient unit when I was still finding my feet again, and I fell in love with it immediately. The kids we work with are so intelligent and have so much to offer the world, and it’s so brilliant to watch them grow. Running badges that mean a lot to me or are similar to my own hobbies, like Disability Awareness, Chef and Scientist badges is always fulfilling, and I love running nights like ones for UK Parliament Week as well. More than anything, I love giving back to a community that has offered me the world over the last nine years and got me through so much.

During my time at Sixth Form I also worked with a GCSE Science class each week, and although it was such a different age group to work with (sixteen year olds are just slightly different to eight year olds), I loved it just as much – it provided challenges and definitely meant I built up my resilience, but there were also the lessons where something clicked or they worked well.

Lastly, my most recent time volunteering was with a little organisation local to home called the Square Peg Foundation who run stay and plays along with other events for disabled children and their parents. I helped at the stay and plays twice a week during the summer and I’m going to be helping at one of their Christmas events. It was such good fun to sit and play with cars or lego or helping with painting, but more than that I got to know the kids and their parents and I like to think that I might have had a little impact on some of their lives.

In the future, I want to take even bigger steps in my social action – I want to work with schools or other groups, talking about my experiences with mental illness, disability and LGBTQ+ issues, as well as my social action. I gave a talk to the staff at my secondary school about my ASD and it was one of the best things I did during my time there, and I’d love to work with more teachers or other adults who work with young people about it.

My social action is such a huge part of my life and I can’t imagine it not being so. I’ve gained friends, skills, and a life beyond my illnesses or my academics; I’ve got more confidence than that Year 9 ever imagined she would. I’d recommend it to anyone, no matter the organisation or charity, or whether it’s in person or online.