Betshy is a Colombian, multi-disciplinary artist, academic, writer, and researcher. She is also a passionate student and a peaceful activist. BAME. Politically aware. Quantum minded. Neurodiverse.
Mission
Betshy is committed to progressing knowledge which challenges the status quo in a reality where equity and human rights are still not effective in practice. Betshy independently advocates for the least advantaged, and strategically communicates with the relevant organisations in order to effect changes. Betshy also aims to understand and explain complex topics and how these intersect. She first investigates, then analyses her data, and finally reports her findings in a way that is efficient. She believes in a glocal (global and local) approach to policy change. Betshy also advocates for open-source technology such as Linux, and cares about climate change. Betshy innovates with ideas, recommendations, and research findings. She also advocates for mental health, patients’ rights, and engages in activism against stigma. Her collected research evidence is compelling, and speaks to the heart of the audience. She finds changing the world into a better place very rewarding, and this is her intrinsic motivation. She also finds helping others brings many blessings, and this is her extrinsic motivation. Betshy believes that the best time to raise awareness, change maladaptive attitudes and influence policy-change is now, because some of the issues she advocates for are for some people a matter of life and death, such as violence against women. Betshy likes to turn passion into purpose, and ideas into policies. Betshy employs a grassroots approach to change, and encourages participation. She aims to build stronger coalitions of thought, where people’s concerns about ‘the system’ are taken into account. Finally, in order to find answers and solutions to difficult questions and complex problems; she investigates and reports on difficult topics such as narcissism, sadism, tyranny, authoritarianism, and fascism.
Vision
Betshy envisions a world where sexual violence does not happen as often as it currently does. A world where women have more access to justice, and more protection from the authorities. A world where inequities are tackled, and where mental health stigma is a thing of the past, and where the mental health industry has more rigorous security measures to prevent crime. Betshy envisions a world where mental health patients and victims of crime are allowed to participate in the decision-making frameworks of their treatments. Betshy sees a future where personality disorders are not demonised but treated as any other mental health disability. Betshy also envisions a world where everyone has equal access to education, and where more people are able to make informed decisions and express themselves. And a world where people are able to know themselves, and therefore reduce unconscious biases.
Motivations
Betshy believes a better world is possible, and that we all have a part to play in making change happen. Through research, Betshy raises awareness about existing problems of the system. Betshy believes that there are specific steps that can be taken in order to reduce rates of sexual violence, such as understanding what makes sexual offenders tick in order to securely identify potential perpetrators before they offend. Betshy also wants to help decrease mental health stigma and mental health inequities.
“I am trying to raise awareness about existing problems (e.g. sexual violence), and proposing potential solutions. These problems cannot all be solved by one party, but require multilateral inputs and outputs; as well as participation from as many human beings as possible regardless of their position in the social hierarchy. I intend to increase the audience’s sense of power, and to motivate political will which calls to action” ~Betshy
