129. A Footnote on Patronising with Selin Ozunaldim

We are revisiting the series on how young women deal with being patronised for a special episode where Julia is joined by Selin, a young activist whose went viral for sharing her experience of being patronised at a global forum. She was invited to speak for 3 minutes. Her 3 minutes were measured, rehearsed, screened, and approved. Inch by inch the organisers ate into her 3 minutes. It started with the content, and then they asked her to shorted the duration. When Selin decided to take her 3 minutes as promised and stand her ground, her mike was turned off. Shortly after this she was interviewed, and her candid interview went viral. While young people are invited to have a seat at the table, it is often to serve a visual. They still struggle for their voices to be heard. Selin shares with us what this kind of partonising does to young people, how it creates a sense of doubt. She speaks of the power of venting but the dilemma of that moment living on the internet for enternity in the age of social media. How do you make your voice heard as a young person? How does one navigate being silenced in a public forum? Where do you derive your inner strength from to keep going?About the Guest: Selin Ozunaldim is a global gender equality activist from Istanbul, Turkey, serving as a National Gender Youth Activist, representing Turkey worldwide for UN Women and advocating for the HeForShe initiative of UN Women. She is a member of the editorial team for the YOUth Newsletter published by UN Women. Selin is a member of the Global Feminist Coalition for Gender Transformative Education, hosted by UNGEI in collaboration with Unicef. She also holds the role of Ambassador for WAVE Organization, co-funded by the European Union. Selin holds a position on the Gen Z Advisory Board of Fast Company Turkey and is a Board Member at Être Girls, a mentorship organization designed to empower young girls by connecting them with accomplished female leaders from diverse sectors.