A schoolgirl named one of the first ever Time magazine Girls of the Year after designing a solar-powered blanket for homeless people, says the award proves that young people can make a difference, no matter their age.
Rebecca Young, now 13 and a pupil at Kelvinside Academy in Glasgow, has been included in the inaugural list honouring 10 young people from across the globe for extraordinary achievements.
Rebecca rose to global attention aged just 11, when she beat more than 70,000 UK entrants in the UK Primary Engineer competition for her invention – a heated blanket built into a backpack and powered by solar panels. Her idea was made into a prototype, before winning silver at the prestigious MacRobert awards a year later. She also won the commendation award which was chosen by a public vote. The design was later turned into a working model by engineering firm Thales and is now being trialled by a Scottish charity supporting people experiencing homelessness in Glasgow.
She said: “I was stunned when I found out. I can’t believe I am one of the first Time Girls of the Year. It’s simply incredible. To be named alongside nine other girls who have achieved so much is one of the most special experiences of my life.
“In my wildest dreams I’d never imagined being in this position when I came up with the design. I’m most proud of how the idea is now helping homeless people in real life – which was my inspiration all along – and I hope this can help shine a brighter light on an issue we should all care deeply about.”
As part of the Time recognition, a Lego figure has been created in Rebecca’s image – which formed part of a special edition front page for the iconic magazine. Rebecca’s model doesn’t just depict an engineer, however – because her career ambitions lie elsewhere.
The talented teenager, who also excels in maths, science, art, and other creative subjects, says her real passion is music. She is already making a name for herself as the drummer in her all-female band, The Girlz, and cites AC/DC and Slipknot among her influences.
She continued: “I am so proud of my achievement, but engineering is just one of the things I’m interested in, and my real passion is music and the creative arts. It’s obviously really early to be looking at my future, but my dream is to be a drummer, and that’s what I’m most focused on at the moment.
“I think there’s a really important message for any young person to look at what you’re interested in and follow your dreams. If you see a problem you think you can fix or contribute to, you can do something about it. And whatever you do, you should always follow your own path to what you want to achieve.”
Rebecca’s mum Louise, 49, who runs an MOT centre in Hillington, Glasgow, with her husband James, said the whole family was ‘over the moon’ with her daughter’s achievement – and equally proud of her determination to choose her own path.
She said: “The attention Rebecca has received since she won the Primary Engineer prize is unbelievable, and we’re all so proud of her. She was just 11 when she designed the blanket, and already she’s decided she wants to follow a different path – and we couldn’t be more supportive.
“Even at just 13, she’s already made such an impact, and we know she can do the same in whatever she goes on to achieve. The most important thing is she’s happy – and following her passions is how she’ll achieve that.”
Daniel Wyatt, Rector at Kelvinside Academy, described the Time honour as ‘a huge global achievement’ not just for Rebecca, but for her school and Scotland as a whole.
He said: “She has done everybody proud. Rebecca is a shining example of how a caring young person can see a problem in the world and do something about it. To see her invention brought to life and helping people in the real world is something very special indeed.
“She is also a role model for any young person who wants to follow their own path in life. It’d be very easy to be pigeonholed as a budding engineer, but she also has other talents she wants to pursue. That’s what Kelvinside is all about – providing opportunities and allowing our young people to carve out their own journey. Well done Rebecca, you have done yourself, your family and Kelvinside proud.”
Rebecca’s invention was inspired by seeing people sleeping rough on the streets of Glasgow. As part of her school project, she was tasked with designing something to address a social issue, and she chose homelessness as a pressing problem she could help to tackle.
She researched existing products such as sleeping bags and backpacks before coming up with her final design – a heated blanket integrated into a portable backpack, using copper wiring for warmth, flexible frames for portability, and solar panels for power.
Rebecca’s design, which Thales engineers, who support the initiative, selected to be developed into a working prototype, was first unveiled at Kelvinside Academy’s Innovation School earlier this year, giving Rebecca the chance to see and hold her idea brought to life.
