An Evening with India Ysabel
Students from AUP gathered virtually on Zoom on Thursday, April 15, to have a brief discussion on activism with a guest speaker India Ysabel. Co-hosted by ReSisters and AUP for Consent, the event "Talk on Sexual Assault and Harassment Activism" left participants inspired and motivated to take action towards active involvement in many aspects of our daily lives.
“People assume that it is is a big thing, and it needs a lot of change. But actually, activism exists on a spectrum. It can be big or small, it does not matter. It will still be activism,” says our guest speaker. India Ysabel, a 19-year-old young activist, has always been putting effort to make the world a better and equal space for all. India started her career as an activist in high school when she had to fight for representation of diversity with the naming of houses at her school. Thanks to her and everyone who supported her first journey as an activist, one of the houses at her high school is now named after Rosa Parks.
The young activist gained a larger recognition as an activist during the Black Lives Matter movement when she decided to bring her opinion to the world and make people listen. She describes herself as an accidental activist because her intention was never to become an activist. “I never really saw what I was doing as activism. I was always involved in ensuring the quality and equality of my educational institutions," says Ysabel. Though her entire life was dedicated to activism, she had a different definition of it than most. "I just never really called it activism. For me, it was simply the right thing to do. It was always about making our world a better place,” she says.
Image credit: Unsplash/ClayBanks
India Ysabel is a co-founder of The Speak Up Space on both Twitter and Instagram. It is a virtual space that provides sexual violence and harassment survivors with support and further help if needed. Ysabel wanted to create a comfortable space for victims to talk about issues; she wanted it to feel like talking to a friend. The Speak Up Space is a neutral ground where people are heard and given the right support. Ysabel says that the existent gap between experiencing sexual violence and getting the right support is what pushed her to co-found this online platform. “Sexual violence is really not a simple quick Google search, and I don’t think a lot of people realize that. People's experiences are so different and individual that you cannot have only one approach," says Ysabel. For the young activist, it does not require an abundance of resources to provide help. "Some people don’t even need help. They just want to talk to someone. Someone who would listen. Being heard is more important, and sometimes is the only thing that is needed,” Ysabel points out.
The Speak Up Space, as a neutral platform that allows survivors of sexual assault and violence to be more open in discussions of serious and traumatic issues, helps people to hear and feel something important – faith in their truth and the availability to hear out their story. Additionally, The Speak Up Space platform also aims to educate people on different sensitive subjects, such as race, sex, feminism, and the LGBTQ+ community. Founders believe that the foundation of change is within education, and people can and will do better when they are comprehensively enlightened on a subject. Lack of education, for example in sex, normalizes the culture of sexual violence because girls from some cultures might always associate sex with something painful.
In the future, if she and her co-founders will get funding, Ysabel is planning on moving her virtual space to a physical one where the possibility of talking face-to-face becomes real. The young activist also plans on partaking in campaigns and envisions The Speak Up Space as a charity platform. Another platform that is available in vast spaces of the Internet is the podcast, Accidental Activist. One of the reasons why India Ysabel and her friend decided to start a podcast was the possibility of delving deeper into discussions and analyzing some topics more thoroughly.
How to get into activism? India Ysabel has a simple yet thought-provoking answer. “Have a passion, knowledge, and a purpose that is bigger than yourself,” she says. Fighting for something of a small significance for you will not offer you the strength that comes with facing people who are ready to attack your vulnerability, which all of us as human beings have when we love something or someone wholeheartedly. “Sometimes it feels like I cannot do it anymore. And that is when I look deep in my heart and ask myself whether I really can carry on being an activist. And I always answer yes," says Ysabel. Activism is indeed hard work that takes up all your time and thoughts; sometimes it can be mentally exhausting. But not for India. "I wanna keep fighting. I have challenging moments and that is okay…It is okay to take a break. Responsibility does not solely fall on your shoulders. There are many people who are fighting as well and we all will not take a break at the same time so that is okay to take a break when it is needed,” she says.
Ysabel has also shared some tips on how to balance university life with commitments and social life. One of her main pieces of advice is to learn to say “no”. “No is your friend. Learn to say no when you think something is not right for you. There will be better opportunities and the right things will come at the right time,” she says. Furthermore, India Ysabel advised to not think of self-care in a capitalistic manner. “Self-care is not about buying a face mask or clothes. It is about getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and walk every day or at least getting fresh air in front of an open window. Basic stuff,” she reminds us.
India Ysabel's talk was both inspiring and aspiring. It reminded attendees that all of us have the strength to do better and to make this world a better place if we fight together. All of us are activists, we just need a reminder that everything is possible if you truly want it. In the end, India shared a list of people she takes inspiration from. Here are some of them: @RadamRidwan, @GinaMartin, @FatPheebs, @lookingformothermax, @mydisabledsexlife.
If you want to be more involved in activism, AUP offers a wide range of clubs you could get involved in. But if you decide to go even further and become an activist yourself, this website offers you 10 simple tips to start. Do not forget that activism does not always have to be something big; small change is also a change that consequently leads to a better place for all.
