About:?
Currently in her third year majoring International Relations,?Aisy?has been actively works and involved in Women, Peace and Security ? Youth, Peace and Security (WPS-YPS) based community since she was in high school. Being a woman who was born in a city that negatively stigmatized as the ‘hometown of terrorists’ reinforces her interest and curiosity in gender and security issues, she was introduced to P/CVE and learned from various programs about WPS-YPS agenda. She also actively involved in many agenda like advocacy and discussion that ensure her participation as young woman is considered in every?decision making?process and peacebuilding. Some of those agenda are Bilateral Meetings with UN Women,?Komnas?Perempuan (National Commission for Women), BNPT (National Counter-Terrorism Agency), and Ministry of Women Empowerment and Children Protection in 2018 and Beijing+25 Women, Peace, and Security ? Youth, Peace, and Security (B+25 WPS-YPS)? Action?Coalition launch meeting in 2019.
Her experiences encouraged her interest and curiosity in wider fields related to peace and security issues. After being part of the YWL for Peace Indonesia, she developed her interest in youth empowerment issues and has been joined youth-based communities with various concerns like youth in interfaith, human rights, and international affairs. She believes that the key action for shaping sustainable peace is by eliminating inequality and everyone can be key actor, no one should be left behind. Therefore, provides safe spaces, opportunities, and supports for all without any exception is necessary.
Ruba?Jamal
Jerusalem, Palestine?
Program officer at AFSC institution
Areas of expertise:?
Social media marketer and youth activist
About:?
In 2018, Ruba joined the Palestine Youth Forum (PYF), a grassroots youth group as part of Palestinian youth efforts to break with their systematic marginalization from the political and civic spheres. She employed her communication and organization skills to mobilize more youth to join the forum; she also played a major role in organizing events and training concerned with shaping youth’s political and civic trajectories.
Her knowledge in the digital world also extends to digital marketing skills; she shares this knowledge with young rural women in different Palestinian villages by teaching them how to market the products they produce from the small businesses or cooperatives they establish.
Her passion is to empower women and youth and be empowered by them; for her, feminism is not a privilege. She inherited from her parents who respect women for who they are and advocate women’s rights; rather, feminism is the everyday act of sharing that privilege with other women in Palestine, especially those who bear the brunt of Israeli settler colonialism and patriarchy. She also aspires to globalize her understanding of feminism by exchanging experiences with other feminist women worldwide.
Curiosity is the keyword for keeping learning and experiencing new things in life.
Sut Seng?Htoi
Myanmar
Secretary General, Kachin National Youth Network
About:?
As a youth advocate, she conducted research on positive youth development and worked to meet the needs of youth in a positive way. She significantly led the Kachin Youth Movement, which stands for Internally Displaced People, IDPs, to free those who had been trapped in the jungle for a month in 2018. She is one of the leaders who led the Kachin State Civilian Movement, calling out against military dictatorship coups and eradicating all forms of dictatorship, including the patriarchal system in Myanmar. She also continuously advocated for women’s and youth’s rights, coordinating with Kachin Women’s Peace Network, Kachin Women’s Association, Kachin Women’s Union, and PLAN International Myanmar.
In 2021, her life was transformed into motherhood, and she was inspired?on a daily basis?by her little princess balancing motherhood and leadership.
Her powerful force in the workplace and uses her positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and become active citizens. As a result, she was honoured to receive the “Citizen of Burma Award” in 2019 and other awards from her own community’s organization.
Wenwue?Tayea?Kollie
Liberia
Young Liberian Women Organization for Improvement
Areas of expertise:?
Sexual Reproductive health and rights, Gender based violence as well as Female Genital Mutilation
About:?
Wenwue?holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics. For over four years, she has been involved in women’s rights advocacy, sexual and reproductive health rights, and women’s and youth empowerment.
Wenwue?believes that women have been left behind over the past years and must now be given the opportunity to save space to be empowering by knowing their rights. She uses her skills,?experience?and expertise to help other women to be empowering through entrepreneurship, skill training, etc., by working with local NGOs in Liberian’s urban and rural areas.
Wenwue?loves to read and is curious about exploring new things and meeting new people from different cultures, backgrounds, and food.
Yakaka?Abba Kaka?Yerima
Liberia
Areas of expertise:?
Gender based violence program?design and implementation, gender equality activist.
About:?
Yakaka?is a graduate of Agriculture at the University of?Maiduguri in North-eastern Nigeria, passionate about gender equality,?women?and girls’ rights activist. Being a part of a highly patriarchal community; Her dream is to have a?community where equal opportunities for Men and Women are observed, and she made this dream a goal that she’s striving hard to achieve through advocacy, community engagement and other?community outreach activities.
Borno?State has been the war and conflict most affected zone in North-eastern Nigeria. Violence against women and girls is the most critical issue that needs an emergency response.
Yakaka?is working with Zenith of the Girl Child and Women Initiative support (ZEGCAWIS) as GBV/SRHR project manager to ensure Women and Girls get access to quality sexual and reproductive health services and gender-based violence prevention and response services.Yakaka?loves to meet new people, explore new ideas and?innovations that will fast tract change in gender norms?in her community and across the world.
Zozan?Yasar
Iraq/Syria
Kurdish Women Podcast
Areas of expertise:
?Women’s rights, minority rights, storytelling,?journalism?and photography
About:
?Zozan?Yasar is a Kurdish journalist, photographer, storyteller, and Human Rights Activist concentrating on women and minority rights and Middle Eastern politics. She has a BA in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Istanbul in Turkey. She is the co-founder of the Kurdish Women Podcast, which aims to promote transnational feminism and provide a safe and protective space to foster interconnectivity and solidarity between women worldwide.Her social and political interests have led her to work with various organizations and initiatives such as Voice of America in the Middle East, Witness Change Project, and other Kurdish media outlets.Zozan’s?numerous publications can be found in the Guardian, Vice News, and Humanitarian Practice Network. Her recent work covers an illustrated book documenting “The Long Walk with Little Amal”, a project bringing attention to the plight of millions of refugees and displaced children worldwide.