Sarah Corbett: Activism needs introverts
Sarah Corbett: O ativismo precisa de introvertidos
Sarah Corbett does activism in a quiet, humble and intriguing way using handicrafts. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
há cerca de sete anos,
in a festival toilet,
because I couldn't even sit down,
I don't even need the toilet."
Nem preciso de ir à casa de banho."
for a large charity on climate justice,
de caridade de justiça ambiental,
nem acreditavam na alteração climática,
in climate change,
quanto ao ativismo,
o dos meus colegas,
on climate justice
sobre a alteração climática
a bit more about the issue.
sobre o assunto.
and lots of inequality,
com a alteração climática e a desigualdade,
and drained me of energy,
because I'd be exhausted,
banho, porque ficava exausta,
doubting my commitment to the cause,
duvidassem do meu compromisso com a causa,
at the end of our shift,
had been signed,
tinham sido assinadas.
of petitions signed
no número de petições assinadas
my little breaks in the toilet.
na casa de banho.
of the other activists,
dos outros ativistas,
the same amount of energy
of getting people to sign petitions,
para arranjar assinaturas
going to watch the bands in the evening
por irem ver as bandas à noite
to my tent and have a sleep,
completely wiped out,
that had the energy
pessoas que tinham energia
as well, inside.
ficava muito zangada, e pensava:
I'm an introvert,
seems to be favoring extroverts."
parecem favorecer os extrovertidos."
outside embassies or shops.
à porta de embaixadas ou lojas.
was around lots of people,
era à volta de muita gente,
it was performing.
era representar.
that that wasn't fair,
of the world's population are introverts,
mundial são introvertidos,
because we burn out,
porque ficamos esgotados,
by activism and not do it,
do ativismo e não o faríamos,
an activist in this world.
de ser ativistas.
it was particularly clever,
que não era particularmente esperta,
of the activism that worked
do ativismo que funcionava
performing all the time.
de pessoas a representar.
was in the background,
era nos bastidores,
just being a campaigner,
I can do, really --
que sei fazer —
I've been a professional campaigner
consultant for different charities
consultora criativa
of activism that were needed.
outras formas de ativismo
I could engage with
I was concerned about in campaigning.
sobre as campanhas.
for Oxfam and other big charities,
e outras organizações de caridade,
sobre o que influenciava políticos
politicians and businesses
e quais não funcionavam.
which ones didn't.
so I look at all of that stuff,
e procurava essas coisas todas,
in social change in a different way,
de maneira diferente,
to be more beautiful, kind and just,
mais bondoso e justo,
should be beautiful, kind and just,
também precisa de ser
about three ways
precisa de introvertidos.
but I'm just going to talk about three.
mas vou apenas falar de três.
activism is often very quick,
response to injustice is,
"temos que fazer coisas agora,
in our campaigning,
nas nossas campanhas.
como trabalhos com agulha
atrás de mim está a fazer —
those extrovert doers,
abrandar os extrovertidos ativos,
quiet introverts into activism.
como as feitas à mão,
têm mesmo que se fazer devagar.
you have to do it slowly.
grandes, complexos e confusos
complex, messy social change issues
as a constituent,
consumidor, constituinte,
while you're stitching away,
enquanto se vai costurando,
os nossos motivos.
of what are your motives.
that was mentioned before?
mencionada anteriormente?
people in solidarity,
which often isn't very ethical?
o que nem sempre é muito ético?
e ambivertidos
in different places --
diferentes na escala —
slow form of activism,
silenciosa e lenta de ativismo,
a serem ouvidos
they are often not heard.
onde não são habitualmente ouvidos.
you don't need eye contact with people.
next to someone or a group of people
à vontade ao lado de alguém ou em grupo
get time to ask people,
para perguntar aos outros,
para perguntar, se houver contacto visual.
if you give them eye contact.
grandes e profundos pensadores,
who are those big, deep thinkers,
that you want to do
aquela forma extrovertida de ativismo
that's about shaming people
ou tem um resultado imediato.
a tentar chegar e como?"
these discussions in a very slow way,
estas discussões de forma muito lenta,
to slow down and think deeply,
for the introvert as well,
para os introvertidos serem ouvidos
part of that movement for change,
do movimento de mudança,
de o fazermos é bordar postais
through our activism,
tecemos através do ativismo,
just react in unethical ways.
de formas não éticas.
with art institutions
com instituições de arte
over 150 people at the V&A
para bordarem em conjunto
on a particular issue,
or how it went, like this one.
that activism needs introverts
precisa de introvertidos
at intimate activism.
no ativismo íntimo.
at intimate activism,
when we're engaging power holders,
contactar com quem tem o poder,
to people we disagree with,
as pessoas de quem discordamos,
not aggressive enemies.
e não inimigos agressivos.
that I do a lot with introverts,
faço muitas vezes
as pessoas no poder,
com uma mensagem bordada, a dizer:
like a bespoke handkerchief
Use o seu poder para o bem.
in your position of power.
na sua posição de poder.
é que podemos escrever cartas
while we're making these gifts,
to implement the living wage.
implementassem o salário mínimo.
bespoke handkerchiefs.
os 14 membros do conselho,
e colocámos em caixas.
to hand-deliver our gifts
nossos presentes em mão
was that the chair of the board
que a presidente do conselho
era a nossa campanha,
como a Martha Lane Fox,
of followers on Twitter,
com Marks and Spencer, para dizer:
to be a living wage employer,
um empregador a favor do salário mínimo,
amazing workers are working full time
vossos funcionários fantásticos
that we want you to be?"
que nós queremos que sejam?"
form of activism.
and Valentine's cards to say,
Natal e de São Valentim a dizer:
to implement the living wage,
a implementar o salário mínimo."
they'd announced to the media
eles anunciaram aos "media"
the independent living wage, and now --
to work with them to be accredited,
com eles para ser credenciado,
discussions with the board members,
de um-para-um,
they loved their hankies
quanto adoraram os lenços
what we were doing,
o que estávamos a fazer.
standing outside screaming at them
a gritar com eles
aquelas conversas connosco.
are really good at intimate activism
são mesmo bons no ativismo íntimo
gostamos de momentos um-para-um,
to discuss with people,
assuntos grandes e sumarentos,
o que é muito importante
we're trying to engage power holders,
aqueles que têm o poder,
with them all the time.
are really missing out
que os ativistas ficam a perder
can be half of the world's population,
podem ser metade da população mundial,
that we're introvert,
não dirá que é introvertido,
by saying what overwhelms us.
por dizer o que nos assoberba.
texts in capital letters --
textos em letras maiúsculas
and everything, she's fine --
it's capital letters, it's too much."
letras maiúsculas, é demais."
the lovely text she sent me.
ler o texto lindo que me enviara.
letters overwhelm you,
maiúsculas me assoberbam,
to help us do intriguing activism
rather than puts them off.
and brash giant posters
impetuosos gigantes cartazes
and vying for our attention.
e a gritar pela nossa atenção.
around the world who take part
com pessoas em todo o mundo
of provocative street art
arte de rua provocadora
muito pequenas,
or telling them what to do.
ou a dizer-lhes o que fazer.
de maneiras diferentes,
to engage in different ways,
to be told what to do.
que nos digam o que fazer.
a green heart on your sleeve
a dizer do que gostamos
and how climate change will affect it,
with the word 'chocolate' on?"
com a palavra 'chocolate'?"
um-para-um de íntimas conversas e dizer:
intimate conversations and say,
that climate change will affect,
afetas pela alteração climática,
of the solution, not the problem."
da solução, não do problema."
gostamos de ser o centro das atenções,
like to be the center of attention,
and how will climate change affect it?"
climática o vai afetar?"
instead of shop-lifting,
em vez de fazer compras,
with lovely stories on
com histórias bonitas
behind your clothes.
or is it a torturous one?
como é feita, ou tortuosa?
in little pockets in shops,
escritos à mão,
por os terem encontrado.
that they found it.
em lojas antiéticas
offline campaigning
in an intriguing way online and offline.
de uma forma intrigante, online e offline.
that when you're planning a campaign,
just as much as extroverts'.
as nossas competências,
and thinking deeply,
e a pensar com profundidade,
we're really good at bringing them out.
somos mesmo bons a destacá-los.
so use us in that way.
por isso usem-nos dessa forma.
create conversations and thought.
que ajudam a criar conversas e pensamentos.
chamada para a ação é,
precisam de chegar à frente.
to turn into an extrovert and burn out,
extrovertidos e ficarem esgotados,
as vossas competências e características
and the traits that you have
or an introvert or an ambivert,
introvertidos ou ambivertidos,
mais do que nunca,
not to get involved.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sarah Corbett - CraftivistSarah Corbett does activism in a quiet, humble and intriguing way using handicrafts.
Why you should listen
Sarah Corbett is a craftivist who teaches her "gentle protest" approach to individuals and organizations around the world. She also makes craftivism (craft + activism) projects and DIY kits for people who want to do a quieter, kinder and more beautiful form of effective activism than what is sometimes traditionally offered.
Growing up in a low-income area of the UK, Corbett has been involved in activism since she was three years old and has worked for more than a decade in the UK charity sector as a professional campaigner focusing on international development. But in 2008 she burnt out as an activist and introvert and wanted to find an effective way of campaigning that fitted her skills and ethics and personality. She set up the Craftivist Collective social enterprise in 2009 after people wanted to join in her new form of activism. Now there are craftivists around the world who take part in social change using handicrafts.
Corbett won the Sheila McKechnie award for Economic Justice campaigner of the Year 2016. Craftivist Collective won an Innovation Award from Care2 Impact Award 2016. She works with charities, arts institutions, universities and has exhibited her solo exhibition, "Gentle Protest," in Stockholm, Helsinki and London. She lives in East London and works worldwide.
Sarah Corbett | Speaker | TED.com