Break The Ice: One taboo at a time
It is rather often that we come across certain situations that make us question the very basics of humanity. Things like superstitions and taboos are the worst of all. The world cannot make progress unless these social evils are completely uprooted and replaced with sensibility and open-ness. We present to you the thoughts of the CEO of Break.The.Ice, Palakh Khanna. It is an organization specializing in breaking unwanted taboos and fallacies in the society, and helps us to break the ice!
Bigger Steps for a Better Tomorrow
Tell us a bit about your organization, what are it’s goals and objectives?
Break.The.Ice is an International Youth Organization working towards breaking taboos and creating an enlightened youth community. We are an UN SDSN (United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network) Youth member organization which focuses on various societal issues and makes an effort to solve them. We have reached over 25,000 individuals in 10+ countries and still growing. We are working on SDG 4 (Sustainable Development Goal – 4) i.e. providing quality education to everyone! From mental health to gender equality to climate change; we cover all topics which the society shuns!
To Pave the way for Progress
What was the thought behind this unique approach?
It all started when I overheard a conversation between my mother and my domestic help. My domestic help had had her periods while working and she was shying away from asking for sanitary pads. That is when I told my mother, almost in a triggered state, that “we live in the 21st century! Why are we shying away from a conversation about periods, which is the most natural process?” This was the moment I decided I had to do something, about all the taboos and superstitions that the society wants to keep behind closed doors. I decided to open an organization that will only talk about all things tabooed, to break one stigma at a time!
Taboos are just a map of what a society feels it’s acceptable to be neurotic about. Taboos aren’t rational.
Frankie Boyle
Related Read: Let It Bleed – what today’s women think about dealing with the menstrual cycle
Working Together is Success
What is your team like?
We have a team of over 90 members across 10 countries in the world working towards breaking stigmas and creating an enlightened youth in the countries they reside in! The team members are from all ages, from 13-25 years old, to bring in different age perspectives on the table without any age biases.
Working Towards the goal
What change would you want to see in the world as a result of your efforts?
We aim to talk about all things taboo! Everything which is shunned by society, pushed under a carpet of ignorance is taken up by us and our community.
We are working on SDG 4 i.e. providing quality education to everyone, but with a different perspective on the SDG – providing quality education about taboo topics. We would very much want our goals fulfilled, for a better tomorrow.
Related Read: It is always refreshing to see the youth taking on the challenge of changing the world. Read more from the contestants of Soch – the article writing competition at IIT Kanpur in association with FTEM (From The Experts Mouth)
To Be or Not To Be
Were there any hindrances in your way? How did you overcome them?
As a young female, becoming an entrepreneur was a tough decision and since I decided to talk about “taboo” topics, it was all the more difficult to take the idea forward and be confident about it. Talking about things which individuals shy away from, was an essential decision, which thankfully got a positive response.
Related Read: How does one deal with adversity?
The Ride So Far
How has your journey been so far?
The journey so far has been amazing! It has had its own ups and downs and moments of doubts, but thankfully, we have been able to get the support of the audience and the youth!
Were there any memorable achievements you’d like to share with us?
Our biggest achievement was becoming a UN SDSN Youth member organization and featuring on Lady Gaga’s foundation as an organization that is creating change!
Related Read: Curiosity can take you places – one of our authors shares how he landed up at international forums, including Harvard, driven by his curiosity
Confidence is Key
Looking back, is there anything you would like to change?
I don’t think I have any regrets as such! If I had to change something, maybe it would be getting mentorship on how to go forward earlier than I did. Other than that, I think I am happy and content with how things went forward and how they have turned out!
A steady hand to break through the wall of Taboos
How does it feel to achieve so much at such an young age?
Well, my entire journey has been about myth busting actually! From the very aim of the organization, which is, breaking stigmas, to expanding the team to 10 countries at the age of 19, the entire journey has proven to be all about breaking stigmas and stereotypes that exist everywhere! Thankful for all the learnings!
About The Author
Palakh Khanna is an 19-year-old Youth Changemaker, mentor, writer, poet and social entrepreneur from India. She has been featured on US Times Now, The Emerging Icons, Entrepreneurs Today, The Entrepreneurs of India as well as Global Indian and interviewed by The Hindu. She is also a Harvard Innovation Fellow. A Girl Up India cohort, she is a published poet.
She is the CEO of Break.The.Ice, an International Youth organization, UN SDSN Youth member. Palakh is also the youngest coach, panelist and facilitator at Business Blasters, a Government of Delhi initiative, and a mentor under the ‘Desh Ka Mentor’ program, a Government of India initiative.
Breaking More Taboos at FTEM
Youth and Society
Related Videos:
Here are some videos around related themes from our YouTube channel. You can subscribe by clicking here, and also check out the playlist – Unleash With FTEM – containing all the episodes of our talk show, where our guests share their invaluable experiences and insights across a range of topics.
Responses