How HIIC supported young people to tackle hygiene poverty in Glasgow
/What if local organisations used their Secret Santa money to help young people experiencing hygiene poverty? That was what this group of HIIC students from Castlemilk Youth Complex asked and, through their amazing work, found out just what an impact it could make.
What happened?
For many organisations, each year before Christmas they take part in Secret Santa buying gifts for colleagues. The HIIC group became aware of this and realised this could be a way to develop their project and asked that organisations to use to the money to buy soaps, shampoos, sanitary products and body sprays.
The group planned to only ask organisations, but once word got out, community members, family and friends and people across Glasgow wanted to get involved.
In the end with all the donations, the young people got together and made up 200 hygiene bags - each bag catered for different individual needs, something the young people spent a lot of time and effort on to get right.
How did HIIC spark community action?
The project had a great impact on the group’s confidence and self-esteem and they now asking important questions about how they can make their communities better for all.
These hygiene bags sparked ideas, conversations, and solutions to a pressing issue in the area among the young people in her HIIC group - something that has since snowballed into a huge project that reached people all over Glasgow and will become a yearly event due to this year’s success.
This is exactly what HIIC does, it empowers individuals to tackle the issues that are important to them and their communities and encourages them to become active and engaged in these issues and to grow as individuals.
