#iwill week – ‘Having your voice heard is so valuable’

“One of the most rewarding things I’ve done”. That is how Gemma Hickey describes her time as an ‘iwill ambassador.

“My advice to anyone wanting to be an #iwill ambassador is just do it, just apply,” says the 16-year-old, from Airdrie, in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. “Just go for it, because it’s truly one of the most valuable things I’ve ever done and one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.

“A lot of the time, you’ve got something you’re passionate about, but people around you might not share the same thoughts, opinions or ideas, or want to be doing the same thing. They might not want to be getting involved in the decision-making process, but being an #iwill ambassador, you are surrounded with people that have those same passions, those same ideas and are wanting to make a difference.

“Having that sense of community is also just so valuable, because it makes you realise there are other people wanting to do the same thing and, honestly, the people I’ve met at #iwill are so inspiring. They’re doing their own projects, their own things and a lot of the time they’re balancing it with university or school work for example, and it’s just really inspiring.”

The sense of community is a thread Gemma frequently returns to when talking about her time with #iwill.

“We have monthly #iwill calls and I think that’s one of the big things,” she says. “A lot of time when you’re working in groups, it can feel disconnected, but just having that space where ambassadors can come in and talk to each other and socialise – not even in the context of working or an opportunity, but just having a chat saying ‘hi, how are you?’ – has been really valuable. Just getting to know people and getting to see what they are doing in the communities has just been amazing and I absolutely love it.

“Another of the big things I love about #iwill is we’ve got Be Collective, a platform where you can apply for opportunities and get involved in a number of different things. I’ve taken the opportunity to get involved in a bunch of different activities and groups I’ve never been able to do before and I’d never be able to find on my own. One of the main things I’ve got out of it is just having that sense of community.”

Gemma is passionate about climate change – which first sparked her social activism – as well as volunteering and increasing access to it for young people.

“Fear was part of the reason why I wanted to get involved,” she explains. “I started with the North Lanarkshire Climate Ambassadors. That was my first introduction to social action and I think a lot of it came from just watching the news and seeing wildfires and things like the sea level rising and ice caps melting and just being really, really scared.

“I thought, ‘oh, I need to wait till I’m older, I can’t really do much as a young person to tackle this issue’, but I had a friend involved with the climate ambassadors who said, ‘you know what, I’ve got the same feelings as you, I’m scared about everything, come and join us’.

“We are trying to campaign within our local community and educate young people on climate change and to make them more aware of it. That is why I decided to get involved and that led to me going involved with Young Scot, Scotland’s Young People’s Forest and later #iwill.

“Climate is a big part of my social action, but I think my focus now is to amplify the voices of young people, making sure we’re advocating for young people to be involved in decision-making processes and also just making volunteering and social action more accessible to a lot more young people.”

The theme of this year’s #iwill week is Still We Rise, which Gemma links to increasing volunteering opportunities.

“I’ve had a discussion with a few other #iwill ambassadors Still We Rise,” she says, “and I think it’s just about acknowledging the challenges a lot of young people face when it comes to getting involved in volunteering.

“One of the things within my community is lack of access to opportunities, not knowing where to access proper opportunities. There’s not a lot of advertising, certainly in schools from what I’ve heard about young people involved in things, and it’s not as if the passion is not there.

“There is definitely is a passion for young people to get involved in volunteering, but a lot of the times they don’t know where to start. They don’t know if they’ve got maybe learning disabilities, or if they’ve got circumstances which means that they can’t get involved in opportunities, they feel there’s not a lot of support.

“One of the things I’ve been trying to work on is making sure young people have the opportunity. I think Still We Rise is just acknowledging the challenges and rising to them and overcoming those barriers, in order to do what you want to do.

“A lot of the times people are saying it feels like when you’re young you can’t make a difference, and that can definitely be a barrier, but it’s about overcoming that and saying, ‘you know what, I’m young, but that doesn’t mean what I’ve got to say and what I want to do can’t be heard and that I can’t do it and I need to wait until I’m older’. It’s definitely about just understanding the barriers and overcoming them.”

Gemma credits her social action with transforming her confidence. She has come a long way from the shy schoolgirl sat quietly in the classroom corner.

“I used to be so shy, I could not raise my hand, I just sat in the corner and was so quiet, I would not speak,” she laughs. “But getting involved with social action and I think it’s getting thrown at the deep end in a lot of the time…

“My first big thing was I presented solo at Motherwell Civic in front of about 100 people. I was so introverted and getting thrown in at the deep end like that, it makes you realise what you are made of.

“I didn’t think I’d be able to do it. I was shaking, but I did it and then I had people coming up to me saying ‘that was amazing, you look so confident’ and everything else. I didn’t feel it, but I think doing that has just made me more confident.

And she is embracing this new-found confidence by throwing herself into her role as an #iwill ambassador – as well as planning to go to university to study law and continue speaking up for people.

“I didn’t think I’d be able to do all the presentations that I’ve done. I didn’t think I’d be able to do the opportunities I’ve done with #iwill. I didn’t think I’d have the confidence to say, I want to, in the future, go to law school and all the demands that come with that.

“It has improved my confidence and I’ve met new people. You develop new skills, you learn so many things from other people’s experiences, and it’s just so valuable.

“I like being able to use my experiences and ideas and my voice for a greater purpose and just being able to be a voice for people and young people who can’t always speak for themselves. It’s changed the trajectory of my life. It’s cheesy to say, but it has.

“Getting involved in all these different groups made me realise it is good to have your voice heard. It really is valuable and meaningful to me, because I can actually make a difference. Again it’s really cheesy, but having your voice heard is so valuable, because it seems like a lot of the time the thoughts and feelings of young people can be pushed to the side.

“#iwill is a national platform and you really can have your voice and can use your experiences and ideas on a national platform to reach a wide range of people. I want to make the most of that opportunity, because it’s one that not a lot of people get and I’m really grateful.”

UK Youth is a leading charity with a vision that all young people are equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives. With an open network of more than 9,000 youth organisations and nation partners; UK Youth reaches more than four million young people across the UK and is focused on unlocking youth work as the catalyst of change that is needed now more than ever. To find out more, visit ukyouth.org

UK Youth is involved in a range of programmes designed to help young people thrive, such as outdoor learning, physical literacy, social action and employability. For more on UK Youth’s programmes, see ukyouth.org/what-we-do/programmes

#iwill is a movement comprised of more than 1,000 organisations and 700 young #iwill ambassadors and champions from across the UK. They are united by a shared belief that all children and young people should be supported and empowered to make a positive difference on the issues that affect their lives, their communities, and broader society.

#iwill is empowering, challenging, independent, collaborative and inclusive – it belongs to everybody.

The #iwill movement is powered by young people and organisations. The #iwill Ambassadors and #iwill Champions, alongside organisations who sign up to the Power of Youth Charter, help ensure meaningful action is taken to support more children and young people to be active citizens.

The #iwill Partnership is made up of leaders of collective action groups working within and across sectors and nations of the UK to guide the #iwill movement. The independent #iwill Coordination Hub, hosted by Volunteering Matters and UK Youth supports the #iwill Partnership, #iwill Ambassadors and broader #iwill movement.