The Butterfly Effect

How seemingly minor changes can have major outcomes. The classic example is a butterfly beating its wings, eventually affecting a tornado’s course on another Continent.

History has shown us that small decisions can send ripples through time, impacting communities, nations, and even the world as a whole. Take, for example, the change in itinerary that led Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s motorcade to reach a dead end just by a café, where Gavrilo Princip was coincidentally sitting. He seized this opportunity and assassinated the Archduke, leading to a ripple effect that culminated in the First World War.

No one could have predicted where Princip would have been sitting, nor could they have known the consequences of this assassination, certainly not on the scale it reached. However, that’s not to say the future can’t be predicted through empirical data. It has been consistently shown that having strong social support is conducive to better mental health outcomes.

Another example of the butterfly effect is the underfunding of social care in the UK, combined with inadequate supplies of PPE and overreliance on charity to pick up the unmet responsibilities of the government; all leading to the UK having over 200,000 Covid deaths reported on death certificates, rampant fraud and corruption in PPE procurement, along with the NHS being brought to its knees as kind-hearted staff are offered a pittance for risking their lives to keep us safe.

Looking at the local level, there is currently no youth club in Wymondham, no dedicated place for the young to go and few opportunities in the local area for those leaving school, causing many to move further afield to find opportunities elsewhere. At the same time, social needs go unmet, isolation worsens, and mental health goes unsupported. What effect might that have on young people who are just wanting to have somewhere to feel welcome? It’s extremely unlikely to cause World War Three, but it is causing untold torment for young people who have been particularly affected by the fallout from Covid.

The NHS still supports mental health but has struggled to keep up with increasing demand, which has seen waiting times spiral out of control and patients sent vast distances to receive support. While the NHS does need some changes, fair pay for nurses would go a long way in staff retainment and morale, for example. Community initiatives can go a long way in relieving some of the pressure that contributes to worsening health outcomes and declining mental health.

Wymondham is host to a robust community who show deep compassion for one another, with opportunities for social connections in the wonderful Roots community café, chances to support charities in Rotary and much more. I know first-hand that young people are welcome in Roots and Rotary; each has profoundly impacted my social wellbeing, enabling me to get stuck in with local projects and give back to the community while having less need to access NHS services. It helps to feel valued while getting the chance to build something for the community. However, there is a distinct lack of dedicated youth provision, which has, you guessed it, a butterfly effect.

The effect works both ways. So, will we come together as a community and provide more opportunities for the youth of Wymondham to find connections? Or will we withhold support and leave the youth of Wymondham to become disconnected?

Some Councillors have made it clear that they are not willing to support the youth of Wymondham, leaving the rest of us to pick up the slack.

Wymondham Youth Network has been created to act as a collaborative hub for the Town, ensuring that youth voices are central to decisions about youth support while also connecting existing provisions to those who would benefit from them. Give us a like on Facebook to keep up to date with our activities and to see opportunities where you can make a difference.

We each have the power to set off a butterfly effect of our own: what will you do to help your Town?