GV Board Elections 2023 Volunteers’ Rep. Candidate: Isela Xospa

Isela Xospa is a designer, illustrator, and independent editor from the Milpa Alta Nahua region south-east of Mexico City. She directs Ediciones XospaTronik, an independent publishing house that addresses themes and characters of indigenous origin, promoting the learning and revitalization of the variant Nahuatl language of the high center or classical Nahuatl. Isela is a member of Rising Voices‘ network of language digital activists and has participated in RV initiatives such as the @ActLenguas Twitter campaign.

All candidates in the 2023 board elections have been asked to answer the set of questions listed below. Feel free to ask Isela additional questions in the comments area below this post!

What appeals to you most about the prospect of serving on the GV board?

I am interested in cooperating and having the possibility of establishing a collaboration network with GV members all over the world.

What talents, skills, connections, and expertise can you offer Global Voices in your role as board representative?

I have been actively participating in the exchange of experiences in self-publishing books in indigenous languages and visual narratives. My artistic and research work focuses on experimentation with registration systems typical of native cultures as valid processes of learning and transmission of knowledge.

I was selected as a Chevening British Library Fellow 2021-2022 working on Early Printed Books from Latin America. Part of my project was making information about the collection accessible to the speakers of these languages and laying the groundwork for future exchange with the British Library. GV had an important role in that activity and I was able to organise a couple of social media events to share part of my research with communities that rarely have access to academic information or seminars focused on indigenous languages and culture.

As you look ahead to the next three years, what, in your opinion, should be GV’s overarching priorities as an organization?

I am very interested in the use of digital technologies for the dissemination of ancestral knowledge and native wisdom. I would like to point out the importance of the use of technology in the defense, care and preservation of natural resources and the protection of indigenous territories.

What aspect of GV’s work interests you the most?

I think that the GV platform can be key in the empowerment of minimised communities, promoting their digital autonomy and the use of technology for the protection of knowledge, nature and territory defense actions.

I am also interested in inviting indigenous voices to collaborate in the writing of reports, research, blogs and life stories.

The chance to get to know GV collaborators from around the world!

What would you like to get out of this board service experience, both professionally and personally?

Personally: I would love to propose ideas, authors, topics to discuss. Include voices and life stories that inspire and manage to connect people from different places to achieve common projects.

Professionally: I would love to support community initiatives on the path to empower themselves and find help and collaboration tools thru GV.

How will you fit board service into your personal and other professional work commitments?

I have experience designing accessibility strategies through editorial projects that are freely distributed in communities that do not have access to print or digital publications in their own languages.

I also have experience in training and supporting the exchange of strategies with digital activists and groups interested in self-management publishing.

I have collaborated for GV with campaigns on social networks and in the writing of articles focused on showcasing the artistic work of the native communities of Mexico. What methods would you use to engage and listen to the community in order to represent them effectively at board level?

I am interested in promoting cooperation and exchange with educational, cultural and private institutions to create spaces for dialogue, exchange and obtaining scholarships for young activists.

I have been successful in the design of digital campaigns to inform about digital activism and the work of GV, I have also managed to bring together a network of friends and collaborators interested in the subject and in the exchange of knowledge to create projects with a high community impact.

Start the conversation

Authors, please log in »

Guidelines

  • Please treat others with respect. Comments containing hate speech, obscenity, and personal attacks will not be approved.