TIME MAGAZINE CELEBRATES A 12-YEAR-OLD INVENTOR
Rebecca Young, a 12-year-old from Glasgow, Scotland, was named to Time Magazine’s first Girls of the Year list. She invented a solar-powered backpack with an electric blanket to help homeless people stay warm at night.
Rebecca was inspired to create this device after seeing homeless people struggle in Glasgow’s freezing winters. Wanting to help, she designed a backpack with solar panels that store energy in a battery. At night, the stored power can heat an electric blanket inside the backpack, keeping the wearer warm. “Seeing all the homeless people, it made me want to help – it’s a problem that should be fixed,” she explained to BBC Scotland.
—earning her recognition from Time magazine for inspiring young people to create change. “As part of the honor, Rebecca and the other nine winners are appearing on a digital cover of the famous magazine, where they are styled as Lego mini-figures – something she said was both really cool and crazy,” says BBC. Rebecca’s work earned her a spot on Time’s Girls of the Year list, which honors young leaders making a real-world impact.
People admire Rebecca’s compassion and creativity for inventing a solar-powered backpack with an electric blanket to help the homeless, calling her a “brilliant young lady” and a role model. Her story inspires young people to make a difference, highlights the impact of young women in STEM, and shows how ideas can become real solutions. Supporters praise the prototype’s success in shelters and hope she continues to help others in the future.
Rebecca’s backpack-blankets are already helping Glasgow’s homeless, with 150 made and the first 35 given to Homeless Project Scotland. Her design won a silver medal in a UK competition and was noticed by the company Thales, which built a prototype and made 150 of them for homeless charities in Glasgow. In June 2025, the first 35 were given to Homeless Project Scotland to help people in temporary housing. She made an invention in her school club and showed that kids can be great at engineering. Her recognition on Time’s Girls of the Year list shows how young inventors can turn ideas into real change and inspire future STEM leaders. Rebecca hopes her story will inspire young people to help solve social problems and support and help those in need.