Virgin Unite: Can Technology Outpace Oppression?
Every generation inherits a broken system but disagrees on how to fix it. Which generation is responsible for finding the answers; the creators or the users? Should we push for speed, patience, accuracy or accessibility? Of course, no single answer is right. But how we think is as important as how we answer. Roya Mahboob, whose groundbreaking work for Afghan women and girls helped give them technological access and independence, is joined on stage by Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, British-Iranian Author and former hostage, to examine what this future might look like. This session will explore what their stories teach us, and the lessons we can take moving forwards. How do generations combine to find answers? Can technology outpace oppression? When experience and urgency clash, how do we find common ground?
Speakers
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Roya MahboobFounder and CEO, Digital Citizen FundRoya Mahboob
Founder and CEO, Digital Citizen Fund
Roya Mahboob is an Afghan technology entrepreneur, Founder and CEO of the Digital Citizen Fund, and co-founder of the Afghan Dreamers, Afghanistan’s all-girls robotics team. She works to expand access to education, technology and economic opportunity for women and girls through digital literacy, online learning and STEAM programs. Named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in 2013, she has received numerous awards, including the Lantos Human Rights Prize, the Doha Forum Award, the Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Award and Liberty Science Center’s inaugural Courage in STEM Genius Award. Her life and work with the Afghan Dreamers inspired the feature film Rule Breakers. Her mission is to equip young women with the skills, confidence and opportunities to shape their own futures.
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Nazanin Zaghari-RatcliffeBritish-Iranian Author and Former HostageNazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
British-Iranian Author and Former Hostage
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is a British-Iranian activist who was detained in Iran in April 2016 and was held hostage there for 6 years. She was released and returned back to the UK in March 2022. She is currently living in London with her daughter and husband, writing her book A Yard of Sky.