Like most of us, I like to think of myself as a good person. I like to always do nice things for my friends and family, like cooking dinner or buying my mum some flowers. But I have been struggling to remember the last time I did something charitable. I’m sure you would agree, that sometimes you get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, may that be with work, uni or school, and you forget about those who may not be as fortunate as yourself. I know I’ve been guilty of this recently, however I was inspired by International Women’s Day to reflect on how I could be truly selfless, and give to a charity that does so much for women who may be struggling.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know that Soap and Glory work closely with the Young Women’s Trust, in raising awareness of the charity and supporting their cause. Before working with S&G, I hadn’t heard of the Young Women’s Trust, and had no idea how much work to support women aged 16-30 who are struggling to live on no or low pay in England and Wales. They encourage women to get into work by offering free confidence and employment coaching to help women get into work. Last year they helped 2,380 young women through their ‘Work it Out’ campaign. As well as this, the YMT also focus on social issues of women in work, looking particularly at the pay gap between men and women. I find it unbelievable that in this day and age, men earn on average 18.4% more than women. The YMT are working hard to bring attention to this hugely important issue, and are encouraging change.

As a student, I have very little spare cash, which means it can be difficult to donate to a charity personally. But this doesn’t mean you should sit back and do nothing. YOU could do something amazing to help someone struggling. YOU could be the change in the world that you want to see. I decided to do what I could, and put on a bake-sale across businesses in my home-town. I baked a huge batch of cupcakes, covered them in sprinkles, and sent them off to various businesses around town to be sold for a small donation. With the help of family and friends I made around £50, which will be donated straight to the Young Women’s Trust. Although only a small amount, it is so much more than I could have given on my own, and through the bake sale it has spread the message of the charity.

I would love if this post inspires even one of my lovely readers to go out there a do something selfless! Comment below with any ideas for how to be selfless, and share this post to keep spreading this message!

Learn more about the Young Women’s Trust here: https://www.youngwomenstrust.org/

As always, thank you for reading

Emma xxxx