Fighting for Gender Equality: Interview with Selin

@selinozunaldim on instagram

1. Could you start by telling us a little about yourself? What is your name, where are you from, and what activities do you enjoy?

I am Selin, a 17-year-old gender equality activist from Istanbul, Turkey. I am the youngest representative of UNWomen’s global gender equality movement HeForShe, one of the 300 activists around the globe who were chosen by the United Nations to be Gender Youth Activists. Alongside being the founder of the first Girl Up Club in Turkey, a campaign started by the United Nations Foundation to help girls build leadership skills, I am also the founder of the first Girls Who Code Club in Turkey where we mainly focus to teach the basics of coding to young girls. Recently, I have started my own platform We Ground Zero, which we interview with changemakers to inspire and empower the Gen Z, a 10-minute interview platform. At the moment, I am doing an internship at Girl Rising as a member of the Young Leaders Task Force and I am very proud to say that I am the youngest Board Member of Young BPW Maiden’s Tower Turkey where we write and operate projects to achieve a real gender equality.

Even though I am an activist, I am still a 17-year old teenager, which is a fact that people, even my close circle, seem to be forgetting very often. I love hanging out with my friends, drinking coffee while chit-chatting, binge-watching Netflix, and reading a good book. During quarantine, I have started to bake, which is my new hobby now! I am very good at chocolate chip cookies and lemon drizzled cake. (laughs)

2. What are some of your passions? How do you incorporate them into your work?

Since I was a child, I have always been the different one, I could never fit into a box, I would always speak up about the things I didn’t like and would always try to find solutions towards it. I remember how it didn’t make any sense to see the inequalities between people just because of their gender, religion, where they are from. I have never understood how people couldn’t embrace the concept of every single human being, being equal just because they are their own authentic selves. I now realize, deep inside, I always knew I would be a change maker, even though it would mean hate comments, critizements, accuses of breaking the traditions. I knew what my truth was and nothing could stop me from speaking my mind and sharing my truth with my community.

As a 17-year-old gender activist from Istanbul, my journey started two years ago when my 7-year-old brother once told me that I was lucky because I just simply could get married and I didn't have to work after.

That

was probably the moment when I apprehended I was going to be, I had to be the

voice of change. That was the moment when I realized the risk of this mindset

created by the society. Such a stereotype that even could, and would, affect

little child's thought structure. Deeply in my heart, I knew I had to do

something, something but didn't know where to start, nor what to do.

Since growing up, I

have always had iconic role models in my life, such as Lady Diana, Coco Chanel,

Malala, Michelle Obama and so many more...women who made a difference in the world,

women who did not leave their purposes because people told them they

couldn't do. With their goals in mind, I remember promising myself to take

action in the morning because, if not me, then who? If not now, then when? and

sending an email to UNWomen to become involved in the HeForShe movement later

that night. I remember sending my best friend a text of ''Oh imagine maybe my

whole life will change after this email'' in a jokingly way, only if I knew it

was all true...

3. Tell us about some of the incredible projects you have been apart of.

I am the youngest representative of UNWomen’s global gender equality movement HeForShe, one of the 300 young activists who were chosen by the United Nations globally to become National Gender Youth Activists and the youngest Board Member of Young BPW Maiden’s Tower Turkey.

I believe it is and should be my responsibility to help girls who do not have the same opportunities that I have, being the voice of young women and giving them a platform to find their own voices. That brings us to the start of my journey with starting the first Girl Up Club in my country, Girl Up Istanbul. Girls have tremendous, often untapped power to change the world. As Girl Up Campaign, started by United Nations Foundation in 2010, our mission is to help girls access their inner power to advance the skills, rights, and opportunities of girls everywhere, in every corner around the globe.

My main focus at the moment is an equal education opportunity. To achieve this goal, alongside working with United Nations Girls Education Initiative to develop better education programs for girls, I am also a member of the Young Leaders Task Force of Girl Rising to reach out and help the girls who's education is disrupted because of COVID-19.

4. You seem to really value young activists' voices and their ability to make a difference, which is amazing! What would you recommend for young people who are looking to step up their activism?

Be you, do you! Please, do not try to fit into a box. Do not feel afraid to speak up about things you don’t think is true, the things that have to be changed. Be that person who changes it. I would like to insert HeForShe’s slogan here: If not me, then who? If not now, then when? I know it really is hard, people can be mean, they will criticize you that is for sure, people will judge you yes but always fight for what you believe in because the only thing that can stop you from achieving your goals is yourself. Make people uncomfortable, put them in a position where they have to start talking about these global issues that need global solutions. You can be, and you are, a changemaker who should share her/his opinion and advocate for your own truth. Always remember, you.are.worth.it. period.

5. Why is bringing girls and women into coding and STEM important? What would you recommend for any who wants to get into coding?

We need all hands on deck, and that means clearing hurdles for women and girls as they navigate their careers in science, technology, engineering, and math, said the Former First Lady Michelle Obama. Thinking about these wise words, I have noticed the disproportion in the distribution of male and female students in STEM clubs and extracurricular activities at my own school. With the hope of changing that, I have reached out to our FIRST Robotics Competition Team, Ultimate Robotics 7830. It was such a joy and honor to see their tremendous support on the cause. We all wanted to encourage girls to be involved at the forefront of the STEM field. Thinking of ways of how to reach out to young girls around Turkey, we have brought the Girls Who Code movement to our country and became the one and only Girls Who Code team in Turkey. With our school's support, we have hosted workshops, conferences, teamed up with different FRC teams, and have visited public schools around the city and gave classes to young girls of the basics of coding and the fun side of science. It is such a delight to see young girls' spark o their eyes when we leave and they say that they want to be the next Margaret Hamilton.

Do not be afraid of stereotypes, they are meant to be broken.

Do not be afraid to step up, there are many people out there who are ready to offer you a hand, if you are ready to take it.

6. I was wondering if you wanted to share about your relationship with anxiety. These are things that people struggle with, so please share to your comfort level.

This is a thing that, has been so brushed under the carpet, and so stigmatized, people find it easier to play the ‘’see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’’. As an activist and young person, I believe speaking up about those difficult things is and should be my responsibility. Here’s my story:

I have been dealing with anxiety for 5 years now. I am a control freak, I am a very planned person and I want things to be done in a second. Meetings, school, interviews, exams... it can be very overwhelming sometimes. What people don’t understand about anxiety is that it is not just being overwhelmed or being under stress. It is a type of stress that affects your whole life. Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders characterized by significant feelings of anxiety and fear. Imagine trembling, breathing rapidly, having an increased heart rate every day, every hour, every minute, every second... To give an example from my experience, I have experienced anxiety attacks during math exams. Math has always been difficult for me and my anxiety played a huge role in that. I wouldn’t be able to sleep for a week straight before the exam, I would tremble, I wouldn’t be able to breathe even. I remember the first time I had an anxiety attack during the exam... At first, my hand started shaking, then my brain stopped, at least I thought it was stopped. I tried to say something to my best friend who was sitting next to me, but I couldn’t, I couldn’t talk, I was not able to speak. I tried to write something down, but I couldn’t move my hand. My heart was racing rapidly that my shirt was shaking. When everything started to turn black, I thought, I believed that it was over and I was dying. I remember telling myself that I wish I could tell my parents and little brother that I have loved them and appreciated them, I couldn’t remember their names... Then I remember my head starting to fall towards the table, but I couldn't lift my head, as if time had been slowed down. My head was falling towards the table but I couldn't do anything, as if I had no control over my body... I didn’t know what was happening and I didn’t know what to do. I have heard my best friend’s voice, but it sounded me like she was shouting at me from thousands of miles away, she later told me that I looked so pale that I reminded her a corpse. I don’t remember the rest but I woke up at the nurse. After that experience, I knew something was wrong with my mental health and decided to visit a psychologist. I was open to anything, willing to do anything. I started an EMDR treatment.

I have been treated with EMDR therapy for about a year, but even after that, anxiety does not go away completely so yes, I still have anxiety disorder but I am not facing any anxiety attacks. I try to do meditation every day and also keep everything balanced. It is so important to learn how to say no, to learn things that will make you feel stressed, and trust your guts.

If you are reading this and going through the same things, please know that you are not alone, never were and never will be. I know how hard it is, and believe me, I know the struggles, the stereotypes come with it, I know how you feel when your closest friends, even your parents may be, accuse you of being an attention seeker, or telling you that you are just using your disorder as an excuse for your failure but you know it is not sure and that is what truly matters. You are not an attention seeker and you are nowhere near to be a failure. You are way more stronger and powerful than many of the people around you because no matter what happens, no matter how this disorder affects your entire life, you have to move on and you do it. Even though you are struggling with all of these every single day, you are still waking up and thinking about what your next step will be to overcome those issues, and that is not only inspirational but also one of the most beautiful things. Please, find a safe space, it can be your parents, a teacher, and even a doctor, but talk to someone, because you can and you will overcome your struggles.

7. What kind of impact do you hope for your work to have? What kind of future do you envision?

I definitely want to pursue my work as an activist, even though people may think I am doing this for college applications or to look good, trust me, it wouldn’t worth it. This is my passion and I feel very blessed to find my purpose in life at such a young age. After getting my college degree, I want to get a masters degree and then hopefully, working with the United Nations. I could never stay at an office, sit in front of a desk and computer all day, no. I have to work on the field, be more on the forefront where I could truly reach and help people, who deserve a chance, who deserves a chance to follow their dreams, have a safe space where they could advocate for their own truths and opinions. Always remember what Socrates once said, ‘’ The secret of change is to focus all of your energy,

not on fighting the old, but on building the new.’’