Treaty of Middelburg
The strongest form of freedom to me is choice, and decisions cannot be rationally made until you have complete and real information. Free press and independent journalism without the threat of being shut down or quieted is crucial in today's political climate, regardless of what country one is from. It should be deeply concerning that most people are not told about what is being done with their data and the things they are consenting to. Moreover, there is extremely little transparency when it comes to information about our media itself. For example, many people who use Facebook do not know that upsetting and aggravating content is peddled more often by the algorithm, regardless of its truth or accuracy. The average person does not know who owns news channels like Fox News and where (and who) they get their funding from. To reiterate, we should absolutely look into how much choice we have in our media consumption.
Team members
- ■ Shaheen Fatma
Why do you want to participate?
It matters a great deal to me to have a say in the future that we are heading towards, especially in a world where it increasingly feels like we are losing our individual power to inequity and disparity. Attending this event will connect me with like-minded people who I can learn a great deal from, and I cherish the opportunity to formally see how change at a governmental level is enacted because challenging broken systems and uplifting the voices from the margins is what I want to dedicate my life to.
What does freedom mean to you?
The ability to be your most authentic self at all times. This includes not having to force a smile on a bad day out of fear of being racially stereotyped, or not worrying about making mistakes in public because that moment can define your entire country in the eyes of people around. Sometimes our authentic selves are not our optimum versions, and that should be okay because beyond perfection, it's far more important (and liberating) to be human.
What are the biggest challenges?
The illusion that we cannot make a difference. While it is true that large corporations monopolizing and forever increasing their profit margins is taking away a lot of our freedom of choice, especially when it comes to opposing unethical practices with methods such as boycotting, or simply having an acceptable disposable income to live the life you want, I believe that we are not as powerless as we are led to believe. Democracy seems to be crumbling around the world, but I witnessed firsthand how a peaceful student protest for job equality ended in a fascist dictator fleeing the country after a 15 year regime in my homeland of Bangladesh. I have and always will believe in a free Palestine. I look back on human history in awe of how far we have come in terms of gender and racial equality, the wars we have ended and how despite everything, life has a way of persisting. In a world of "brainrot" and ironic humour, I think what young people are missing the most is pure, sincere hope. After all, you cannot work towards freedom if you cannot even dream of it.
Do you have a message?
Only that it would mean a lot to me if I am selected! I have little else other than my passion and humble opinions, so I just want to be in the room where it happens, listening to brilliant people share their unique perspectives and exchanging ideas.
