Discover Follow Your Voice - the Ambassadors' podcast !

Launched by the BECOMTECH Ambassadors, “SUIS TA VOIX” (FOLLOW YOUR VOICE) is the first collaborative podcast of girls and women involved in Tech, designed to shed light on their views of society in order to change the way things are done. Every two months, they discuss a social issue that has challenged them, in order to understand, speak out and act differently.

The first episode deals with mental health, a subject that remains taboo in France. Given that nearly 1 in 3 young people suffer from mental health problems, Selen Altuntas, 17, Jade Fortin, 16, and Viktoria Melnyk, 17, wanted to find out more about it to democratise the subject and allow those who suffer to avoid being stigmatised. They explain why this is a social issue, how recognising our emotions can help us take care of ourselves and others, and share ideas for action to make things happen.

In this second episode, 16-year-old Jade Fortin and 22-year-old Gradie Muntu discuss intersectional stereotype that women of color face. What problems do they encounter on a daily basis? Why? And what does the term "women of color" refer to? These are the questions the ambassadors try to answer with as much sincerity, good humour and perspective as possible. Through this sharing of experiences, they discuss how to deal with racism, what impact it can have, and how to help and support those who experience it. The episode is punctuated by gentle guitar notes written and composed by Carla Ndombasi, an ambassador musician, and includes testimonies from Gradie, Jade, Taysir, Diakoumba, Charlotte, Jessica, and other ambassadors who wish to remain anonymous.

In this third episode, Dounya Thiam and Viktoria Melnyk, both 18 years old, talk about the way others look at us. This vision which builds us, makes us grow and progress, but which can also limit us. Based on their personal experiences, they lead us to discuss Jean Paul Sartre, Aristotle, Emily Skye, Lise Meitner, Sophie Germain, Mary Jackson, and Lena'Situations... What role do social networks play in all this? What is blemmophobia? How can we step away from the way other perceive us? These are the questions that the Ambassadors will answer with calmness and kindness, to a musical background composed by Carla Ndombasi.

In this fourth episode, Sana and Joelly question the lack of diversity in pop culture, and the impact this can have on our way of thinking. Pop culture is the common base of our collective imagination, and it influences society as much as we influence it. However, inclusive approaches are still struggling to emerge as the norm. Starting from their personal experiences, the ambassadors question the state of culture and lead us to discuss Harry Potter, the historian Yuval Noah Harari or the comic book author Alison Bechdel who created a tool evaluation of the representation of women in films. In this episode, the ambassadors provide us with works with an inclusive approach, even if perfect inclusiveness does not exist.

In this 5th episode of "SUIS TA VOIX" (FOLLOW YOUR VOICE), Assma and Absa tackle the topic of cyberbullying in schools. Between testimonies, analysis and help for victims, they try to understand how cyberbullying works and how to deal with it. If you are a victim or a witness of this type of situation, you will find concrete resources and ways to change things. After all, isn't this that a way to prolong existing harassment in the school environment ?

In this 6th episode of Suis ta Voix ! Myriame and Diakoumba share their experiences and thoughts on the subject. Using numerous examples from pop culture (Kim Kardashian and braids), music (Madonna and voguing) and fashion (Native American headdresses at festivals), they untangle the threads and provide clues to help everyone move beyond cultural appropriation and the racial question it raises.