My Stanford Talk: My 4 enabler tips to getting politically engaged

I held this talk on 25 March 2023 at Standford University during the University Innovation Fellows programme.

I am an engineer in public policy. I work for the European Commission in climate policy. But tbh, I am not the most political person. I have never been affiliated with a political party, and really, if you had told me in my second year Bsc about the EU or the Green Deal, I would be like, "I don't care; it has nothing to do with me." So something happened along the way that brought me to where I am now. And to share that enlightenment with more people, I created an IG account, "EU Green Deal Brief," where I share EU energy and climate knowledge and opportunities to make these things more accessible.

But that means putting myself out there - and it is kinda political, no? And that is exactly what I want to talk about today. So many of us have a story and ideas to change society for the better. But it is kinda difficult to put yourself out in the public sphere. It is scary, you are putting yourself in a vulnerable position, and a lot of imposter syndrome is going on: Why you? There might be a person who is suited way more. But if you have a little spark of thought to get politically engaged - whatever that might look like: I wanna share my 4 "enabler" tips that hopefully give you the final push to try it out.

1?? Dealing with Imposter Syndrome

You might know what I am talking about. I mean, look around you. The University Innovation Fellow community is full of talented and ambitious people doing amazing projects. It can be intimidating.

I totally had it when I arrived in Oxford: The people were so sharp, super intelligent and guys, many conversations about politics, history, philosophers, whatever - I often had no idea what they were talking about. Very often, I felt intimidated, and I thought: Dang Sevim, you still gotta learn soooo much.

So I had two options: (A) pretend I knew what they were talking about, (B) ask.

U know these moments where you are contemplating, "Should I ask… shouldn't I…". I am here to be that voice in your head: ASK!!!! Cause that way, you learn and know better the next time.

This brings me to my second point:

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Every time I think, "Omg, what will they think? What if I mess up?"; this is what I tell myself: "Sevim, well, you are not the most important person in the world, so who cares?". For some reason, I find it really soothing. It helps me to put the situation in perspective. Even if I messed up this talk, next week, no one would say, "Omg, do you remember this girl having that talk and she forgot her words". Everything is so temporary, and it is good to make you realise that. It gives you space to experiment.

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So, for me, in hindsight, it was quite naive to start this IG account. Forget about talking to 14.000 followers. I am talking about EU policy files and sharing insights from my day to day about an institution with an official social media presence. And then there is this girl doing it in a fluff. I mean, who am I to put myself out there and explain EU energy and climate policy?

And who knew whether I would like it, whether I would carry on doing i in a montht.So I called it an experiment and just started. That led me to a community of 14.000 people, the European Commission embracing and supporting me,manyf speaking invitations to all around Europe and most importantly: Many young people discovering a new career path for themselves: being engaged in EU climate policy.

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But along the way, it is important to remember that this is not about you. You are a messenger to share and inspire, get stuff done, there for the purpose, for the bigger objective. It's a contribution, a function in society.

Esp in the political sphere, you might get caught up with titles, recognitions or prizes. But these are just labels and badges.

These things don't define who I am. This is not about me. What I care about is when followers tell me: "Hey, I am an engineer, and I saw your video; you are also an engineer. That gave me the push to apply for the EU traineeship." Or "Hey, I am also a 3rd generation immigrant; it is so nice to see fellow immigrants in places like you."

I feel truly humbled to be in that "role model" situation, if you like - being relatable leads people to take action. And you can be that role model as well. We need more young people in the political sphere, in whatever form that could be. So, if you ever thought of putting yourself out there in the political sphere, here is my call to you: Just do it.