Gwen Yi Wong ,
Please provide us with your views on the state of peace in the country you will represent at the One Young World Summit.
I come from Malaysia, a cultural melting pot nestled in the heart of Southeast Asia. Our people is made up of three main races – Malays, Chinese and Indians – plus a plethora of other ethnicities. Despite the reverse affirmative action that has strained inter-racial relations for the past 60 years, everyone coexists in relative harmony; you won't hear about incidents of racial slurs or micro-aggressions here. Since the historic elections earlier in this year, when the people used our defunct electoral system to vote the corrupt ruling party out of office, there has been a real sense of unity in the air. The entire nation came out in droves to make this change possible. I'm hopeful it's here to stay.
How do you think your work and/or activism contribute to countering violent extremism and a sustainable peace?
At Tribeless, we dream of a world that is reflective of our namesake: one that is free of all labels, stereotypes and tribes; the things that separate us from each other. We want people to embrace each other as they are: as individuals, as human beings. We do this by designing products and experiences that create safe spaces for people to listen, share and respond to each other's personal stories. We believe that stories are our most powerful tool for empathy, connection and understanding, and when shared authentically, can break down barriers, build bridges and bring us closer together. After all, how can you hate and alienate someone when you've heard and resonated with their story on a personal level? After hosting 700+ hours of conversations between people from 80+ nationalities and 5 continents, we've learned that we're more alike than we are different. And if everyone had this experience of connecting authentically with someone who seems so different from them on the outside –– imagine what the world would be like.