Welcome to Equala: A Vision to a Reality

Gender equality encompasses a broad range of aspects - from basic rights and freedoms, to equal opportunities; opportunities that all are entitled to, irrespective of demographic traits. Though this social phenomenon is often subject to controversy, it remains to be an issue that needs to be discussed and brought to the forefront of attention. This is what encouraged the start of Equala; a vision of change.

So, how did this vision for progress become a reality? For Yui Kuramochi - the founder of Equala - her personal experiences and gender inequality in her surroundings sparked an idea; to promote a platform that will help mold “a society where everyone has the fair opportunity to achieve excellence.” After all, only rid of stigma and the shackles of societal norms and judgment can all be equal on the same ground - where one’s gender, religion, and ethnicity does not define their value and what they can accomplish. Ultimately, Equala has become a convergence - a group of passionate, diverse young individuals standing in solidarity with a common ambition. Divided in four sectors - activity, collaboration, education, and informative - the members of Equala will endeavor to produce staples of awareness, through different mediums reaching out to different audiences. We all come from an array of rationales and motivations to join Equala - for some, it is the desire to be “openly active” against societal affairs and the conservative views shaping the country one lives in (Yuna Komurasaki). For others, it is the intrigue of feminism (Coco You); a delve in current and “future interests” (Yewon Ko); an opportunity to “speak up for gender equity” (Erica Nhalungo); nurturing a “comfortable environment for all genders” (Kevin Oh); a personal pledge to tackle the rise of “global issues such as gender inequity and sexual inequity” (Seungyoon Jang); recognising that “issues surrounding gender were common regardless of the country or culture” and wanting to support an “inclusive world” (Hinoto Tanaka); a testament to the evergoing “social reform,” being “informed with developing goals such like gender equality,” and the “love to inform” in “adopting this voice” (Bernice Man); the ability to “project on contemporary issues” (Srishti Chadda) that has encouraged us to step into the embrace of Equala. Please read the full statements on our Instagram post.

From our mission to our vision statements, each action is a gradual step to our end goal. Through the four sectors, our mission is to “bring youth together to tackle gender inequalities within our local and global communities by educating, inspiring, and empowering.” This is the foundation of Equala - whether in a local or global environment, we ultimately aim to campaign against the ubiquitous inequalities encompassing our society, which we will pursue through different means (working with others, fostering an encouraging environment, informing, educating, and so on). This roots from our drive, our willpower, our passion, for “we envision a world in which every person has the opportunity to attain excellence in their lives regardless of their gender.” This is, to Equala, what utopic gender equality pertains to → excellence and achievement should not be concepts that correspond to gender, they should, instead, be available for all to pursue. And this is the motto of all of the sectors. From the perspective of the informative sector, the four current members (Bernice Man, Kevin Oh, Subaat Shahzada, and Srishti Chadda) will aim to spread awareness through the power of primarily written-based compositions (poems, articles, songs, etc.), that could be definitive or abstract. At Equala, thereby, to inform is to influence.

Even as we move forward, Equala will always come full circle to our fundamental goal. We will aim to foster an inclusive environment, and toil to accomplish what began as a vision. This is the start of Equala’s journey from a vision to a reality, and we are eternally grateful for you, the audience, to support us through this venture.

A message from Equala: we are always open to new perspectives, motivations, and ideas, and we firmly believe in what you could bring to the team. Please contact us if you are interested, and we hope that all members of Equala can stand in unity to project against the current confines and barriers to society, and campaign for our struggle to achieve parity.

This article is written by Celine Park and Srishti Chadda