Merili Ginter's engagement with the British Council in Estonia, particularly through its People to People programme, has been remarkable. Her involvement in projects such as the Changemakers Academy ignited her passion for social leadership, setting her on a path of extraordinary achievement.
Beyond her interactions with the organisation, Merili's impact has resonated widely, earning her recognition as one of Estonia’s most influential young individuals, ranked #14 in the country. With achievements including authoring three books, founding three companies, and mentoring hundreds, she now leads Impact Day, the Baltics' largest sustainability festival. Here, she reflects on her journey, sharing how she turned her passion intoa way of life.
‘Thanks to the People to People programme I found the passion for my life: impact entrepreneurship. Through the Changemakers Academy project, I first heard about this and developed the network that has enabled me to start now with Impact Day.
As I have been working on one or another project under the People to People programme for over five years, it has developed more skills than I could mention here! One of the most valuable competencies I have acquired is self- analysis, because with this I have been able to learn from other experiences and truly understand what I can do.
Apart from that, I have also built very good friendships and colleagues thanks to the programme, including the co-founders of Impact Day -who are my best friends too, and my life partner.
As Impact Day is about making sustainability sexy, which means making acting for impact a norm, not a 'nice to have’, I would encourage new generations to find the right people to be with and work to change other people’s lives. Alone you can go fast, but together you can go farther. And with the right people, the sky's the limit!’