30 Oct The Beginning of a New Journey

I am so glad and excited to share my journey note from ‘YSEALI Advancing Gender Equality Workshop’ in Brunei. Please, just read through my little note before you know me my name. Enjoy my journey!

From the workshop, I have learned many worth lessons from professionals with a beautiful heart around my region. The lessons have encouraged me to improve myself and inspire me to contribute back to my country.

Let me share my two favorite and super amazing sessions from the workshop. The first one is ‘Travel to Teraja Longhouse-Site Visit’. From that activity, we had a chance to observe as well as engage with the local people in the community. I saw a simple way of life, tried their delicious local food-Bamboo Chicken, and had the opportunity to chat with three elderly women there. Even though we speak in different languages, but body language helped us a lot.  Honesty, the site visit activity has reminded me that even if we are in a different society-mask but at the end life is still life- Simplicity, Sufficiency, Respect and Appreciating others value are important things. Everyone performs their duties and help each other in the ways that have not been seen in urban life. 

Moreover, I saw a woman who is the community leader, she is very talented and confident. And I learned a new strategy of recognition from a woman leader. She didn’t manage people around verbally, but her eyes were communicating and her team understood her perfectly what she wanted or needed from them. This is so interesting.

My second favorite session is a panel discussion ‘What Society is Doing to close the Gender Gap’. My world view was opened by the session. In the past, I believed that gender gap is quite a big problem that far away from the light exit door. But one of the panelists shared this:

‘We can help narrow the gender gap by our own works, encourage the gender equality society by the way we are or our Identity- Like me (her) that she supports this issue by researching’ (Khairunnisa Ibrahim, Gender Lecturer – University Brunei Darussalam) 

And listening to the professional life experiences shared from two other speakers made me realize that …Yes! I don’t have to wait for a big event or a special treatment to change this world. I could begin with a small work by being myself and it would eventually accumulate as a great power.

Furthermore, being around other participants from other countries with such diverse environment and culture, I have learned from over 50 friends from around the Southeast Asia on our different perspectives and practices to drive gender equality in our region. I’ve heard different stories and experiences, some were born with a single mom, some were in the organization that dominated by men, or some have been sexually threatened before, but they didn’t let them down. Everyone learn and live by their experience and life story, finding a critical opportunity and create a turning point, then try to convey and push it to create a society in which everyone has equal dignity. I felt very inspired and powerful surrounded by people who are positive, untiring, and who wants to create our world to be better!

After returning from the workshop, I came back home with strong positive energy plus with the passion to work on a project with four friends from four countries – Lea (my super leader) from Vietnam – Mie (my Logistic Manager, from Brunei) – May (my Social Manager, from Myanmar – and Khin (my Creative Manager, from Myanmar). Our project aims to create comfortable & friendly learning environment for women in technology that will be done as well. If you want to join us just please click on it ‘womenmeettech-diversity-pitch’ before the end of November 2019.

I want to also thank my mentor Afiq for guiding me to think clearly, teach the efficient way to work as a team, as well as applying business ideas into social work, such as raising funds or creating partners. 

My journey has never end. It just begins and I do commit myself to continuous traveling with the YSEALI & Wedu family to give this world a blooming flower which equal society environment.

Finally, this journey was shared by Gale (Wilailuck, one of the delegate team from Thailand), who was born and raised in a farmer class whose family is not very rich. She almost had never seen examples of successful women in her community before. Nowadays, she has been breaking through many obstacles for women i.e. man ideal norm in Thai organization, herself-leader perception, and she just wants to engage women and men to be supportive of each other for our equality environment by the way she is as a researcher. Currently, Gale is a researcher in IT industry. And on November 15, 2019, at the Faculty of Communication Arts- Chulalongkorn University-Thailand, she is going to have a presentation ‘Self Identity perception and Influence Strategies of top female in Thai Organization’ to convey her work to teenage students who will be the next generation world citizen. Yes! This is her way from her insight Identity (researcher) to be a part of closing gender gaps maker. 

So now, I’m waiting to see your way too. Don’t let Me do it alone but please work together for our better life as We do.