Top of the Class

#18 Creating a Global Blog About Social Justice and Feminism

• Crimson Education • Season 1 • Episode 18

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Growing up in Hawaii and San Francisco, it was easy to find a group of students to discuss social justice issues with.

But moving back to Japan, Yuko Nagakura started to notice that feminism and social justice did not get many people talking. She started the SheQuality blog to raise awareness of sexism in Japan and then made the decision to join online high school, Crimson Global Academy.

After finding a group of like-minded students from around the world, the SheQuality blog now has an international team of authors raising awareness about the many forms of sexism that impacts their lives.

Yuko discusses starting the blog, the importance of working with a global community and what other students should consider when creating any kind of content.

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Do you want to be part of the podcast or do you want to nominate someone to be interviewed? Contact the hosts at podcast@crimsoneducation.org or on Twitter.

Host's Notes:
I loved Yuko's final message for content creators - that it's not about the number of followers you get but reflecting on what you get out of sharing your voice and thoughts with the world - something all content creators should keep in mind.

Podcast Host  00:00

Hello, and welcome to the top of the class podcast. I'm your host Alex Cork, and in this episode, I chat with 15 year old founder of the SheQuality blog, Yuko Nagakura. With a focus on feminism and social justice. The blog now has an international team of authors. In part due to her decision to join a global Online High School. We chat about the importance of young voices and why the process and not the number of followers should be the priority for any aspiring content creators. Let's chat with Yuko Nagakura. Yuko, fantastic to have you on the show. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? 


Yuko  00:50

So I'm a 15 year old girl from Kyoto, Japan, and I'm currently attending Crimson Global Academy. So in school, my main interest are in women's equality, education, equality, LGBTQ plus rights, and that sort of thing, along with business and mathematics. going to be talking about blog, I started that I was able to start because I was part of a global Online High School, 


Podcast Host  01:13

And that's SheQuality. 


Yuko  01:15

Yep. 


Podcast Host  01:15

Am I saying that? Right? Is that how you say it too? 


Yuko  01:17

Yep, you're pronouncing it correctly. 


Podcast Host  01:19

Okay, SheQuality. I love it. I love it. Let's go back a little bit. You've got an American accent by the sounds of things. And you live in Kyoto, Japan. So tell us a little about your story. How does someone find your way to Kyoto, Japan with an American accent. 


Yuko  01:32

So um, I was born in Tokyo actually. And when I was six years old, I moved to Honolulu. And that's where I went to elementary school. So for five years, I was in Honolulu. And it was a great time, obviously, always really chill. It's really great place to be and a lot of fun. Yeah. And that's kind of when I started getting an interest in mathematics. And originally in around grade five. And from there, I was exploring, like possible schools to attend in for middle school. And I found a school in San Francisco. And that's when I moved to San Francisco because it to attend a school that specializes in mathematics. Right. For three years, I had a great time. And we did a lot of math. And but the best part of being San Francisco for me was that it, I was able to find a passion in something else other than mathematics, which was in social justice, because they have such a diverse culture. And during those three years, my interest in social justice developed a lot, especially for women's rights and LGBTQ plus rights. And then after middle school, I was talking with my parents, and we were talking about possible options for high school. And up by that point, I'd been in the United States for eight years. And so I kind of lost touch with my identity and sense of being Japanese person. And I wanted to explore as much as possible in the world before I had to college and actually decide what I want to do. And I don't have that much flexibility. So I decided to move to Kyoto. And that's why I'm here today. 


Podcast Host  02:58

Right? So is your family with you?


Yuko  03:00

Yet. My family's with me. 


Podcast Host  03:01

Okay, so you've all been a family unit. And you've gone from Japan, Tokyo, to Honolulu, Hawaii, to San Francisco, back to Kyoto. 


Yuko  03:10

Yep. 


Podcast Host  03:11

Wow. So you've done quite a few moves in quite young. And you've picked up obviously, like that worldliness, I think, is part of that journey that a lot of students go on when they do have to change countries and cities quite a lot. Would you say that the San Francisco experience has been kind of the city that has or that experience has shaped you the most in terms of who you are now in your identity? 


Yuko  03:32

Yes, San Francisco is definitely the place where I found my interest. But I talked with my parents about this. And I always say like, I would never wish that I moved to San Francisco at first, actually, when I was six, I really think those five years in Honolulu helped shape me. It's so different from San Francisco, and there's a lot less pressure in my opinion, and it's less like competitive and everything. And it allowed me to, to learn English, and B also just live freely and do what I want to do. So I didn't like swimming at the time and everything. And I was able to just take my time to do what I wanted to do. And that that time that was mathematics and, and so you do still love maths. So I definitely like math, and it's my favorite subject in school. I will say I'm not as interested as I was when I was in middle school. I'm in middle school, just I was obsessed with mathematics. And I finished calculus in eighth grade. So but through developing my interest in social justice and learning about ways to help, as of now I'm more interested in business for a while I want it to be a lawyer actually. But as of now, I think I'm really interested in the way businesses actually contribute to equality and fairness in a different way than what law does. One of the things I like about social justice is up. I've had my opinions, my opinions like my political opinions have changed so much. And it's really interesting to talk to people on like opposing sides and from like, different backgrounds and I think, you know, being from San Francisco, which is very progressive, versus Japan, which isn't so progressive. I've gotten to talk to a lot of people have different beliefs. And one of the things I like about that isn't really the case in math is that I now have to be open to changing my opinions. Whereas with math, once I'm certain, I'm kind of certain. 


Podcast Host  05:21

Yeah, so that's a really interesting thing about that kind of open mindedness. But one thing I'm interested in is, is there any kind of moment or story that you recall from a guess your time in San Francisco by the sounds of things or anywhere else that really opened your eyes to social justice?


Yuko  05:39

So in sixth grade, I was, I guess that was my first year in San Francisco. And I was kind of just exploring, I didn't really decide anything, I wasn't really set on anything. But then I became friends with several people in my school and of different ages of different backgrounds. And from there, like they were already kind of interested in politics. And that's when I realized what the issues were. And it's actually around that time when the first 2016 presidential presidential election was occurring between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. And so everything was quite political, especially in San Francisco, where 99% rate of like Clinton, so yes, everyone was quite opinionated. Um, and that's when I realized, like, what politics wasn't actually started caring. And from there if things kind of took off, and I just gained this interest, and in seventh grade, I started a gender sexuality Alliance at my school, and where we explored, like topics related to LGBTQ plus rights and women's rights. And yeah, so say it was almost like a gradual process. But with like, like multiple events, kind of contributing to this growing interest, like the presidential election, and then I participated in the school walkout for gun control, for example.


Podcast Host  06:58

Yeah. Do you remember when you started the Alliance, because I think that's like the first step as a young Yuko kind of taking a leadership role in the social justice space, it's going beyond an interest to actually saying, you know, I'm going to do something about the interest. What was that process? Like in from a kind of practical standpoint? Did you have to go and chat to anybody at the school? Or did you have to get some friends on board first? Or did you just kind of create a logo and say, with having an alliance or like, what was that process like?


Yuko  07:29

Yep. So before I started anything, I was pretty close to a teacher, my, an English teacher. And we already started talking and like other extracurriculars about the possibility of GSA, because it seemed like crazy that there wasn't something like this already. Because there are so many kids who are interested in social justice and politics. And from talking about it from their states of like, several months for me and two of my friends to really put our foot down be like, yeah, this is actually something you want to pursue. And so we talked to that English teacher, and she helped us in starting an official school club.


Podcast Host  08:06

Did you have a logo and a website? And did you have regular meetings? Or was it just like, this is a safe space for people to come? and chat about social justice issues?


Yuko  08:15

Yep. So we did have weekly meetings every Wednesday. I think every Wednesday we had weekly meetings and be, I think, at the beginning of it, it was more of a safe space, where we kind of discussed and we're just doing things for fun. Honestly, we just enjoyed it. Yeah, we would bring in like, a topic and debate about it. For instance, the masterpiece cake shop case with, like, is rejecting a gay couple for creating a wedding cake.


Podcast Host  08:44

I remember that.


Yuko  08:46

And you know, doing debates about things like that, and kind of trying to come down to a conclusion altogether. And that's what it was at the beginning. And then we were like, okay, is this doing anything? Because after a certain point, we kind of realized, like, we're just doing this for fun, like, what do we want to do to make a difference? And so one of the things we started doing was, we started noticing issues within the school to point out and change. So for instance, we created a poster, we designed a poster talking about how harmful the saying no homo is, and we put that around the school, because we've heard that before within the school, or emailing the teachers, or the faculty about the possibility of having gender neutral bathrooms within the school. So we started by noticing issues within the school that wanted to change and trying to do something about it. And other than that, I left off at a point where we're trying to develop this discussion board. This where kids can put up discussions onto the board, or point out issues like anonymously that we can put up onto this board and try to help others.


Podcast Host  09:57

Yeah, just kind of like facilitating tough discussions, right? Because it's quite a sensitive topic, some people might not want to put their name to it. So sometimes it's they're doing it anonymously, or whatever it might be, and how do you raise these topics in a safe way? Which is a really, you know, I think a lot of schools are still struggling with that concept. And a lot of not just schools, companies are still struggling with how do we raise these sensitive topics in a way that is safe and inclusive and doesn't create too much disruption to people's lives? That's a really interesting thing. I think it's really interesting how you had that kind of moment of, oh, we're here just having fun, we really need to start doing something. Right. What was it like when you first started putting those posters together? Because that sounded like one of the first activities you started doing when you like, Okay, this is no longer just our private club, where we chat and whatnot, we're going out and engaging the school community. And at the time, you're in like you seven or eight, doing that kind of thing. That must have been a pretty brave step for a young year, a 12-13 year old to take at the time.


Yuko  10:59

So putting those posters up. I mean, we got some comments that it was spam. Maybe  because we went a little bit overboard and potentially put up a little bit too much. But yeah, I guess the thing that probably helped the most was, I always knew that there was some support, even if it wasn't like the entire school supported this. I mean, I knew there was a teacher that did the heads of the school did. And they allowed us to, and I had the friends that I started with. And yeah, so having a support system from the start is probably the most helpful thing is like my parents were supportive of the projects, I was engaging and things like that.


Podcast Host  11:36

Yeah, that's a really good tip. I think for students who want to start an organization like this at their school, right, it's about get, you know, you're not going to get 100% of people on board, even if it is like the most well intentioned, most necessary group for the school to have, it's virtually impossible to get 100% of people, there's always going to be the quote unquote haters out there. And right, it's just like having the key people who are the decision makers backing you that's really important. And looks like you got that sorted. So you have the confidence to go out and spam the school with a whole lot of posters, which is awesome. Talk me through the transition to Japan, and then the decision to start SheQuality?


Yuko  12:15

So I would say transition to Japan was quite a bit of a shocker for me Actually, even being from Japan, myself, I wasn't in Japan for a whole eight years. And when I was six, I didn't care about those sort of issues. So when I first moved back, I was actually surprised by I was surprised by certain things. And when we buy menstrual products in Japan, there is a culture, I mean, not a culture, but it's almost like a rule where the store packages into this brown bag, like the packaging of this brown bag in order to hide it. And that was like a shocker. For me. That was one of the first things that kind of held me back. And then the whole issue with employers requiring female employees to wear high heels in the workforce, when that started becoming more international news. So I was like, oh, wow, Japan has a lot of issues. Why do they require women to wear high heels? I think it's, it's seen as professional. So similar to I mean, in the United States, it was the problem of like, and not being considered professional to not wear makeup to the workforce. In Japan, it's a whole new level where you have to wear high heels, like a full face makeup, like having your hair down. And they're just more requirements in looking professional for a woman, which makes things even harder for women who are in the workforce.


Podcast Host  13:35

Right? So you're there, you're seeing this kind of big change from the very progressive San Francisco to kind of like a not necessarily backward but certainly a backward step in Japan, and you want to do something about it.


Yuko  13:48

Right. And one of the most interesting things was this kind of contributed to it was for the first six months I was in Japan, I attended a normal Japanese high school that happened to have like a class for an English curriculum. And there were a lot of kids who cared about such topics. Like my old score, I was at tons of friends who cared coming to the friends was like, Oh, yeah, let's start this. I have that. And that was one of the most difficult things and also one of the I guess it was also a little bit concerning to me that there weren't a lot of kids who were interested in politics here, watching the television, all the politicians are old, and like by old like 60s 70s. And it's just it was concerning that like this is a reason why we this is a backward step. So during those six months, I honestly spent those six months just like thinking almost like I didn't do anything, because I almost felt stuck. And I didn't know what to do. And I was just thinking about these issues, but almost shoving into the back of my mind because I was I guess I was trying to adapt to this new place and I almost lost the interest at first. Especially because you is also a little bit harder for me to access information about Japan when my Japanese wasn't isn't perfect or right, it was even worse when I first moved. So I kind of almost lost that interest for a while. And then quarantine kind of, yes, COVID. And I have a lot more time on my hands because the school I was attending at the time moved to online. And I was like, Okay, this is the time to start doing something. So that's when I first started putting my thoughts down, like on paper, thinking about what I wanted to do, talking with my Crimson extracurricular advisor is about possibilities and what I can pursue. And that's what I officially started that officially decided that starting a blog was something I was interested in. But at that time, my plan was to just start this blog for myself. So just for to just be me sharing the issues of sexism in Japan to the world. And that was my plan. So I kept that plan for a good two months or so, or a little bit longer than I actually say. And I was writing these articles. And the reason why I decided on a blog was because we'll a never been like the best writer ever, like writing has never been my favorite thing, especially with English being my second language. I just wasn't super confident in my writing, along with the fact that I mean, again, like, again, I was a math person, I didn't put a lot of effort into English for a long time. So I wanted to challenge myself. And that was one of the reasons why I decided on a blog, and another was, I wanted to, like do a translation between Japanese and English. And then several months forward, it's around May, and I decided to roll into Crimson gold Academy branch is an online school. And there were like multiple reasons contributing to that decision from like, a purely academic standpoint, along with wanting to attend school, where I could do a lot of like new extracurriculars, because I knew as new and yeah, so I decided to attend Crimson Global Academy. And honestly, I first with a lot, a lot of worries, because I don't know, I mean, online school kind of has a reputation for not being very social, and for it to be a place for a place for like anti social people to go, that kind of reputation. So I was a little bit worried at first, but I make that decision. And I immediately I'm impressed by the global community, because there are so many people from different parts of the world. And from there, I was like, wow, this seems like a great opportunity for me to do something that's global. And at that time, I hadn't published my blog yet, because I wanted to get certain a lot of articles like we're in before I officially start. So nothing's been set up yet. So I was like, What if I like combine the school community along with this blog idea that I already had? And so I was unsure whether it's a good idea. So first started off by going on Slack. And I'm Slack leader. So I tried to be as active as like, as much as possible. Yeah, it sounds like okay, I'm just gonna post this on extracurricular section of slack. And yeah, I sent the entire school of message regarding my extra curricular project and asked like, are, is anyone interested? And I got replies from like many girls from around the world that were students of CGA. And so I was like, Okay, then, if I have interest, and this is definitely a good idea. And the fact that there are so many girls who messaged me was one of the things that really boosted my confidence in this project, because I didn't receive that sort of feedback when I was in this jockey school, because there were a lot of people interested. So for me to get like replies from ambitious girls from different places where I was really excited. From there. It's been like quite a bit love, like a team project, like asking, like, what kind of things do you guys want to do? And last month or so we officially started the first article and our 10th article got uploaded this Wednesday.


Podcast Host  19:07

That's awesome. And so how many people do you have, I guess, on staff with the SheQuality blog now.


Yuko  19:13

So currently, we are a group of seven. And right now I'm talking to potential or almost at eighth member.


Podcast Host  19:21

Were you surprised by the interest in terms of like you were dealing with it in Japan and I guess you had that experience. Were you surprised that other girls from around the world, we're also identifying with those issues in my care? Yeah, I'd like to join this too, because it's not just you, I see this happening where I am as well.


Yuko  19:40

So I guess, with those girls, I mean, they share similar concerns that I had when I was in states. Those are the kind of articles that they're writing and they're very much so like, there's so many issues relating to feminism that are very present in even the most progressive countries. In a world that a lot of them not being so much about laws, but about the way like society treats women and things like that. So that was kind of where I saw the interest from those girls coming from. But there's one of the members, she's from Costa Rica. And when we first started talking, and she expressed interest, she told me about some issues from Costa Rica, it's very different from the issues in Japan, or even in the United States, like, it's just it was very different. Like it was more like about issues regarding like, gender based violence, for example. So I think talking to her was when I was like, yeah, this is a project that has a lot of potential in the sense that it really just proves how different sexism is around the world, and the different issues that women face. And all of them are big issues that need to be addressed. But it's important to realize the differences I felt like...


Podcast Host  20:56

it's like the education process and the acknowledgement of the different experiences around the world. That is like the first step towards solving some problems. Right? 


Yuko  21:05

Yeah. 


Podcast Host  21:06

It's interesting to look at what is the intention of the blog? Like, is there a stated purpose or a mission statement that brings everyone together? I mean, obviously, like the title of the blog, is SheQuality? So if you want to look it up SheQuality? We'll put it in the show notes. By the way, I'll put the link to the blog in the show notes. But yeah, was there any kind of binding statement that you would say to the girls, hey, this is what it's about, this is the kind of purpose that we're going to be writing towards.


Yuko  21:32

So when I think about the purpose, I like to think that there's two main aspects to it. So the first one's a little bit more obvious in the sense that it's about finding an audience that reads the articles and potentially finds interest in an issue that they read about or realizes the differences in the world and tries to think about what feminism really is, because it's so different, depending on the country you're in. The other aspect that I think is equally as important was actually about the girls who contribute to it. So my favorite part about the project actually hasn't really been the whole writing and publishing part. But the community in general, we're currently mainly communicating on a Slack channel and on there, we don't only talk about the articles that we're thinking about publishing, or the possible ideas on SheQuality as a project, we also talk about the issues and on the Slack channel. And a lot of times we'll have deep like questions posted up, and then we'll talk about it, we'll have a discussion. So this group of girls that first started off as just being like team members for a project of saying we're more of a small, tiny, small community, now we're talking about these issues. And I think that's one of the missions of SheQuality. And I would love to get more members involved in the future, so that we can have these more personal conversations, aside from the writing and publishing.


Podcast Host  22:53

I really like that aspect that almost like you had the intention of writing the blog, and it was mainly based on your experiences in Japan. And then because other girls from around the world joined as well, it felt like it changed the kind of flavor or the stated purpose of the blog a little bit to instead of just focusing on the sexism in Japan, it became like, let's compare or let's educate each other about issues where we are and how they differ. And how the same around the world. So it's kind of like that shared experience in which social injustice occurs or social justice, I guess. So it's like the global community. I think that's such an important thing, right? Because a lot of students when they're at a particular school, they often find it difficult to get outside of the school bubble, right? It's like, whoever's in a 10 kilometer or 15 kilometer radius of the school is who's going to be there in the classroom with you. And so the experiences that you're drawing from are quite limited, but as a result of having girls from New Zealand and Australia, in Costa Rica, etc. It really expands the possibilities with something like this. Is that something that has really enriched the project for you?


Yuko  24:06

Yeah, I would actually compare the process of me changing, I guess, the mission of the project from being like an individual one about Japan to a global one, to the situation I was talking about earlier with the club and being like, okay, with the GSA and being like, okay, we need to do something. I just felt like I joined CGA I had to question. First of all, I mean, this seems kind of ridiculous, but it's like, I feel like when we're living we almost like forget about the fact that this is a world in a sense, like, it feels like my world is not even Japan but like the school that I go to my world is the home that I'm in and that's all it is. But going to CGA I was like, it becomes obvious that it is an entire world. And so I guess that was when I was like, okay, am I really doing this project for just for myself, or am I trying to do something with it? Am I just doing it for fun and it feels like to me the world is just Japan, the country that I'm from and that I'm living in and San Francisco and Hawaii, two other states that I've lived in. And so I almost felt like it was almost becoming like a personal project I was just doing for fun. And I was like, okay, but that wasn't what I originally wanted to do. Like, I want to do something. I want to do something with it. Right? Yeah. So I was like, okay, like, we need to start doing something. And that's when I just Slacked everyone


Podcast Host  25:29

You're so right as well, like, it's, it's that whole idea that, you know, some people just don't look up at the sky enough and don't realize how big the world is, right. And I think that's what a lot of people live day to day, because they're just going to school going home. Well, I mean, in COVID times, you might just be going to your desk, across your room and going back to your bed. But essentially, like, it's, it's amazing how some people's worlds during, I guess this COVID situation has shrunk so considerably, you know, some people would have had travel plans, and, you know, going out to friends, places or the rest of it. But because of COVID everyone had to stay indoors a lot of the time. Whereas it sounds like for your experience, you know, joining something like CGA an Online High School, and then from that decision, your world expanded dramatically. And now you got all this like shared experience with these girls around the world? I think so awesome. So I think that's a really cool benefit that I think you probably wouldn't necessarily know from joining an online high school right that you're like, oh part of a global community worldviews that type of thing. How important is young women's voices in the conversation around sexism and gender inequality and social injustice? Because I know there's a lot of people out there a lot of students out there who might say, I would love to contribute. And I've got something to say on this topic. But I feel like it's already been said by someone else, you know, might be said by some politician or could have been said by some activist who's a couple years older, or a couple years younger, or someone else on the other side of the world. But how important do you feel it is for every person to have their authentic voice heard, particularly when they're like 14 15-16 year old women?


Yuko  27:09

I think it's very important. And I think no matter what your ages, or rather how many times a topic has been talked about, I think it's important to really think about your opinions and share them, even if it's it feels repetitive. And I think there's so many like aspects and like so many flavors to an issue that are not even sure if you can fully repeat something that's already been done. So I think I think an easy example of this is like abortion, for instance, right? I mean, it's easy to say I support or don't support abortion, but there's so many aspects to it, like so many laws regarding it, right? Like which cases do you like which trimester like there's so many little aspects to it and the flavor of it. Like, there's so many issues regarding even like, one topic and even a simple topic like, or a seemingly simple topic like abortion. So I think it's almost impossible to repeat someone else's work. Yep. And that even if you are if you're amplifying the voice that you believe in, and I think only and sharing it can be really deeply Think about your opinions, like a lot of times once you write it down, or once you say it out loud, you have kind of like process it again. So you're almost reconsidering your opinions. And I think that's another really important aspect of supporting the issues a sport.


Podcast Host  28:20

Where do you see SheQuality going in the next couple of weeks and months? I how, how you sharing it, how you acquiring new Raiders, and how you getting the resource out there to students, I'm going to guess is the main target audience or anybody?


Yuko  28:34

Yep. So as of now, students are definitely the main target audience, right, like by young people, for young people, that sort of thing. And our original goal was 10 articles. And we just reached that goal this week. So right now, I'm talking to an artist from CGA about potentially sharing this on Instagram, through her art, that sort of thing. Because like through those 10 articles, I feel like every member was able to get a feel for what it's about and how it's gonna go from here.


Podcast Host  29:03

How is this project open doors for you? Has it connected you to a wider community, not just within Crimson Global Academy, but beyond that to other young women who are passionate, not just young women, but young men, gender non binary people who are passionate about social justice issues? Because when you start a blog, I know you're pretty early on in the process 10 articles in.


Yuko  29:26

Yeah, I have actually been connected to other people by starting this. And that's, I think that's one of the direct ways that I've been connected. But another thing is like, an example of this was I was volunteering at this One Young World caucus event in Tokyo last month, and what I was there, people were asking me, like, what kind of things are you interested in? Right? Because I was the youngest volunteer there, I think. Yeah. And so when people ask if they'd be like, Oh, yeah, I'm interested in like feminism. For instance, I'm doing this with like a global group of girls. And automatically that you know, that raises Because it's kind of new to be able to do that with your school. And it's something that can only be done when you're in a global Online High School. So I think it has opened doors for me. And I'm hoping that it will help open more doors in future.


Podcast Host  30:14

Do you have anybody in mind like any young people or adults in mind who say, Yeah, they're doing really cool stuff. And I'd love to connect with them, I see them as being a role model for what SheQuality is trying to achieve.


Yuko  30:27

So I think on the more personal and I would say, that English teacher that I talked about earlier with GSA, she was the person that kind of helped me find my interest. And on a less personal level of like, who I look up to have, say, a robot, for me has to be Rebecca Solnit. So she's an author of like, multiple books, and one of her books called 'Men Explain Things to Me'. I have like a whole set of books somewhere around here, right? Yeah, it's called men explain things to me. And that was the book that really caught my attention in terms of gender based violence. So when I was younger, and I was in middle school, and I was doing speech about gender based violence, and her book very much was the basis for my speech. So to say that her work definitely interests me, she has a lot of books, and I enjoy all of those greatly.


Podcast Host  31:15

One thing that I want to look at as well is how important is it for students to get outside of their bubble and absorb the news of the day? You know, you mentioned the wedding cake incident that happened in the US in 2016. I think it was here 15-16. Yep. And I think a lot of people focus on school. Like, it's interesting that you were like a math student. And I'm going to guess you're pretty committed to what's happening at school, and you're going home doing your study. And that was like your main focus. And I guess there's some things that happened that catch your attention, and you're like, well, geez, I wonder what else is out there. And then you start looking at more news is something that I think the majority of the students that I'm interviewing on top of the class that they have in common? Is the interest in what's going on in the world around them? Is that like, one of the major benefits of being involved in shape, quality and leading SheQuality is that it kind of drives you to continue to engage with the world around you. Even if it's tough conversations, right? I think some people kind of be like, Ah, look, I don't want to deal with it. I'm just going to ignore it. I've got other things to worry about. But like, because you're one of the riders that SheQuality, I guess you probably always looking at what's happening in the world around you, and what kind of news stories are coming out?


Yuko  32:26

So I think, with SheQuality, absolutely. Like, I need to be on top of like, what I'm reading, so that I'm not like sharing old things, and things that kind of changed. And I'm always exploring so I can, I'm confident in what I'm writing. And like, I know, I've put in the thought to the issue that I need to put into it. Because I think you know what cakeshop thing like if I only spent like a day thinking about it, I think I would have come down to a very conclusion that I eventually came down to after like, multiple weeks to be completely honest of thinking. Yeah, I actually always like every breakfast, I go on Hulu and I watch American or like British news. Um, so


Podcast Host  33:03

I was going to ask like, what kind of resources do you tend to get your news from? Because I think a lot of people struggle to find reliable news sources, or they struggle to find different voices. So what would be your recommendations to help students widen their horizons in terms of news and resources?


Yuko  33:23

So during those breakfasts when I just like turn on, I just got my iPad, and I watched the news. The only option for me is BBC and CNN just because that's the only things on Hulu. So I usually end up watching BBC. And then with when I'm just like, searching from like my computer, I would say my favorite source has to be Reuters. I just feel like from what I've seen it from what I fact check


Podcast Host  33:44

right is is just like a Newswire, it's kind of like should be fairly unbiased. And yeah, no opinion, no fluff. It's just what happened, right? That's like the idea of Reuters.


Yuko  33:53

So I enjoy borders the most also, like, ask people about what they think and like having those conversations so I can really understand what I'm thinking myself.


Podcast Host  34:05

How do you stay in control with your emotions when you're talking to someone who is diametrically opposed to your views around a particular issue? And is perhaps not the most eloquent in voicing those opinions? And is perhaps a little aggressive to the way you think, right? I mean, this is like a global issue at the moment. I'm putting it in your hands as the in one of the riders of equality. Do you have any advice for people who are encountering that? Potentially?


Yuko  34:34

Yeah, so there was a person in my class who was quite they're quite politically right. Oh, yes. And so one of the things that came down to it was when we had a discussion about the masterpiece cake shop thing, they started claiming that being gay was a choice. And that was one of the most you know, it's obviously like, kind of like upsetting comment, but from there started being like, Oh, I don't believe in like same sex marriage because Like, I believe that gay people have the right to marry, but they only have the right to marry the opposite sex was I believe what was said, like, Okay, everyone has equal rights because everyone has the right to marry the opposite sex was the argument that was made. Being a San Francisco it. I've never encountered that sort of opinion before. Along with being in Japan. I've also not encountered with that because people in Japan just don't care that much. But it's not like they have an opinion, that cream. So I think at first I was like, Whoa, like, it was just like shocking or like, wow, because it was seemed like crazy to me. Like, this is the kind of thing that I seem like comics, not like in person. So I was like, wow. And I mean, I think honestly, I think it helps that girl on zoom, I feel like if it was in person, I may have raised my voice a little bit more. Whereas on zoom, I just don't really have the option to you. And I didn't have that urge as much. So I tried to keep the conversation as logical and related to the course as much as possible. So instead of being like, Whoa, like what the hell like I talked about one of the things that question was like, because they were coming from religious point of view, I was like, Okay, let's look at the first amendment. And because that was what the course was on, yes, we kind of talked about like, okay, because freedom of religion applies, it should apply to like, all religions, like, why is it that this particular religion at your part, like takes precedence like, kind of try to stick to the topic as much as possible? I think that's one of the main things is try to stick to where the conversation started. And also, honestly, I don't like saying this, I was opposing this, like, I was strongly opposing this kind of belief, like, long, like a year ago, honestly. But I've learned to just walk away. At some points, I genuinely think that there are certain people, especially when it comes to a belief like homophobia, that you're not going to change their minds, they've honestly probably had multiple people, like tons of people try to change their minds, and they haven't changed their minds, and you're not going to be this new person that walks in and change their minds. So I think for your own sanity, walking away is often Yeah, a good option. And, frankly, because staying doesn't really achieve anything.


Podcast Host  37:11

Yeah, I completely agree. I think some people get so caught up in the argument. And so get caught up in the fury of it all and the emotion of it all that they can't leave without getting that person to agree with a point of view. And it turns into this, like unproductive conversation that goes round and round and round in circles. And people get pushed, I think in after a while, they get pushed in further into their respective corners, right, like they already better come to the middle and have a compromise, they get pushed further and further apart. So you know, that's good advice, with joining SheQuality getting involved. How can students do that?


Yuko  37:48

So if you go on the website, there's an email address. So if you email that address about any interest, I will respond.


Podcast Host  37:56

Awesome, awesome. And hear directly from you. Yep. Right. And they should expect to be an author potentially, if they're wanting to join equality.


Yuko  38:05

Yes, absolutely. So we're looking for artists, or even if you don't have an interest in writing, or are, but you want to be involved, please just email me and I will get back to you on any potential roles that you can take within it, or even like joining the slack community, just to have these discussions is always an option.


Podcast Host  38:24

And what would be your final advice for students who haven't strong opinions who want to get their voice out there, but might not think that the world wants to hear from them? Right? or might not think that they've got a voice in world full of blogs, and tic tocs in YouTube channel, etc? Like, what advice would you give to students in in that kind of thinking?


Yuko  38:46

Right? So I think first of all, when I started this project, my goal wasn't to have like, tons of people reading it, like, I'm not super obsessed with having like, so like many people read it more. So even if it's like three people who like read it, and kind of can take something away from it. I think that was worth something. And like I mentioned before, with any project, I think a lot of times it's not about who's reading or who's looking at the content, it's about the process and people who talk to you while creating that content. So even if your opinion doesn't reach like many, many people, I think it's important to think about those few people that it did reach and also what you were able to do during the process of creating that content, whether it's a blog article, or a YouTube channel or whatever, like, who does you talk to, because I've personally taken a lot away from talking with my group, my group in SheQuality and also reading articles that my teammates, right, so I think, you know, I think the fact that I read those articles is I'm taking something away from it. 


Podcast Host  39:50

Yeah. 


Yuko  39:50

So yeah, so even if it's not like 10s of 1000s of people reading it, I think it's always important to think about the people that you can impact and also the experience gain in the process. Because I think once you gain that experience, and it opens opportunities to grow, and also to have an impact, and even if like the project ends and never route to like large point, I still think that it adds something to what you did, and it can connect to the next opportunity out there.


Podcast Host  40:21

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's the impact that it has on you. And it's like your personal growth. You know, what, my gosh, this brings back memories for me because I started a blog, and I stopped it because I didn't say many people reading it. I think I was just sharing it through Facebook at the time. This is pre their Instagrams and all the rest of it. So we're really going back here, but yeah, I mean, that's it. That's it. I just hadn't even thought of that, like that concept that I'm not writing it to get 1000s of followers, because I think a lot of people look at that and say, if I'm going to enter into the social media world, if I'm going to put my voice out there, I'll be embarrassed if only two or three people read it. But in reality, it's just like you're doing it half of yourself. And yeah, half of those couple of people who read it, and if it profoundly affects them, or even if it has just a small impact on them. That's a win. And even if no one reads it, right, even if you get something out of it, that's still a win. All right. So I think it's like don't judge the success of a blog by how many readers or followers you have just just success of the blog and how it makes you feel. I might even start writing my blog again. Yeah, I thought about it that way. It's crazy. It's crazy. Well, I should have but I'm really glad you brought that back. Thank you for coming on to the show and giving your time I think SheQuality is awesome.


Yuko  41:35

Thank you so much for your time today and for having me have such a great time talking to you.


Podcast Host  41:39

My pleasure, Yuko. 


Yuko  41:40

Okay, thank you.