On 19th December 2020, Savera UK Youth joined other young activists from across the world to speak out about the importance of youth action in an online event hosted by the organisation Scarlet Udaan. The live event aimed to highlight youth activism for gender equality and the influence that young people can have on making vital change.
Scarlet Udaan is a youth-based global awareness organisation that aims to raise awareness of female genital mutilation (FGM). The name of the organisation brings together the words ‘Scarlet’- a brilliant red colour which signifies the strength in one’s womanhood; and the word ‘Udaan’- a Hindi word which means ‘to soar’ or ‘to fly’, symbolising freedom and the limitless possibilities that exist for an individual. They imbibe the spirit of their name and hope for a world where the same power and freedom can exist within all women.
The diverse team Scarlet Udaan team comprises people from different parts of the world ranging from the US, UK, Canada, India and many more. It hopes to bring awareness to FGM and the impact it has on the lives of females belonging to different communities all around the globe.
Along with Savera UK Youth Advisory Board member Ayo, event speakers included:
- Julieta from Chile who is the founder of the TREMENDAS Collaborative Platform that promotes empowering girls, adolescents and young people
- Selin from Turkey who is the youngest representative of UNWomen’s global gender equality movement HeForShe and the founder of the first Girl Up Club in Turkey
- Nonya who founded SheFFA which is dedicated to advocating against FGM through conducting educational advocacy workshops
- Sakshi who is the Resource Mobilisation Executive at the Myna Mahila Foundation, a globally recognised organisation working on women’s health in slum communities in India
The inspirational panel discussed why they think it is important that young people fight for gender equality, what challenges they have faced in their activism and how they want to continue their work in the future.
Scarlet Udaan representative, Abi Reynolds, said about the event: “I thoroughly enjoyed organising the event, for it allowed me to engage with inspiring youth activists from around the world – India, the UK, Chile, and more. Their passion to strive for better is something we should all hold close to us and work towards, together. I cannot wait to see the change our wonderful speakers make in the future.”
Savera UK Youth member, Ayo, said: “The Scarlet Udaan event was an inspiration. It was so refreshing to be surrounded by other young people whose passion is to help others and raise their voices on topics that matter.
“Listening to other young activists can encourage other young people to get involved, as they will believe ‘if others can do it, I can do it too’. Events like this also enable Savera UK Youth to engage with other organisations and create new worldwide campaigns that will gain more attention and shine a light on issues. We can only put an end to such issues and harmful practices if we are united.”
You can catch up on the event here and tune into the Scarlet Udaan podcast.