Believe it or not, the Duchess of Cambridge is at the forefront of the fight to bring the attention of decision makers to the issues facing children and young people.

In March 2018, when she announced that she would be convening a steering committee to look at what could be done to make a difference in the lives of children, by focusing on the earliest stages of their lives, a large number of social media users snorted and sneered. Loud guffaws were heard when news paper headlines, announcing the launch of her campaign to help children failed by broken Britain, surfaced.

It’s 2019 and the Duchess has proved that her project is many positive things and most definitely, not a flash in the pan. Not one to be deterred by mockery or unkind words, she set to work, executing little projects in different parts of the UK, all channelled towards getting the children to work and play outdoors.

Early Years projects are not one off projects and most certainly, not a walk in the park. They are strategic commitments to work with different individuals, schools, agencies and communities to improve the overall health and development of children from infancy to the age of five and, create a positive, long lasting effect that goes with them into their teenage years and adulthood.

In Australia, there is a 10-year partnership bringing community leaders, the government, researchers, business and philanthropic organisations, to achieve better outcomes for their children and families. The State Government is in collaboration with the Minderoo Foundation and Telethon Kids Institute, to work with four Western Australian partner communities.

Yes. A 10-year partnership.

In the US, there is an Early Learning Institute run by the US Department of Education, to improve the educational and social outcomes for young children from birth through third grade.

And naysayers will hurl vitriolics at Catherine on social media, for taking too much time to roll out her Early Years Programme.

As the steering group concludes its research and reports (which will form the strategy for developing the long term impact of her Early Years work) the Duchess of Cambridge continues to show us through her actions, that she is all about the longterm impact and not just a nine days wonder.

A voice is a very powerful thing to have. Use it carelessly and you’ll end up in trouble. Bid your time and think carefully about the right situations to use that voice, and you become a beacon of strength for lots of people across the world. Everyone needs a voice, even children. When they can’t speak, they have their parents doing the talking for them. But then again, a parents intercession might only stop at the school management level or at the paediatrician’s desk.

With the fast rising rate of poverty and unstable situation in the UK, childrens mental health and wellbeing faces a threat, even with the increasing outcry for the government to do all in its power to improve children’s overall health and wellbeing.

Upon her marriage to Prince William, who is next in line to the throne after his father, The Prince of Wales, Catherine decided that her voice would be needed to champion the causes of children. But to make that voice strong enough to have an impact, confident enough to cause decision makers to stop and listen, she needed to put that voice on hold and get her research started. The more she researched, the more it impacted on the charities she chose to lend her patronage – Action on Addiction, EACH, Place To Be are just a few of her charities linked to children and young people. While solidifying her place as a Child Advocate, she lent her support to a few other charities and organisations – Children in Crisis, Child Bereavement, the Teenage Cancer Trust, Starlight Children’s Foundation and the UNICEF.

Eight years on, as this voice (which she has always had) gets stronger and louder, the Duchess of Cambridge has become a beacon of strength to families in Britain and young mothers the world over. Her Early Years Initiative and so far, all the research and projects we have seen her carry out as part of it, holds a promise of hope for thousands of children, especially vulnerable children everywhere. Think about the huge benefits of having such an initiative in every country of the world. For the Duchess of Cambridge though, charity starts at home. For how well will you be able to make an impact globally, when you don’t start with your family and home country? How will you be able to speak of your Early Years Initiative as a success when no one sees the huge benefits it has given to the people of the UK?

Catherine wanted to make a difference even in the smallest way, she wanted to learn and looked forward to helping people as much as she could.

With her future roles as Princess of Wales and Queen Consort looming ahead, this young woman, with the quiet power and silent strength, is just getting started.