If 2020 has taught us anything at all, it is that words matter. I have heard this phrase as a conclusion of multiple difficult conversations that were spurred by the events of 2020, including the Delhi Riots instigated by hate speech, the BLM protests and the everlasting #MeToo movement. What sets the human race apart from other species is our sophisticated facility for language and an intricate system of communication. That is why our words matter.

Safe spaces entail a comfortable environment for all participants to engage in dialogue wherein they feel safe to voice their opinions openly. These spaces are cultivated to provide avenues that actively encourage the participation of sexual assault victims and members of marginalized communites, giving them the security to share their lived experiences. But because words matter, I believe we need to rethink how we construct such spaces.

“[Safe spaces] are misinterpreted as being spaces that are not meant for difficult conversations,” stated Sara Amjad, Assistant Director of Student Activities and First Year Experience.

Labelling spaces as safe gives members of the community the impression that they are safe in the values and entrenched beliefs that they come in with, leaving little to no space for growth and diminishing the possibility for coexistence. Safe spaces are also exploited, in a similar way to how freedom of speech can be conflated with “safe from consequences.” When we come from diverse backgrounds, safe spaces can encourage complacency towards our views, to not challenge them to change because we accept all views as equally valid.

In the 21st century, when society is grappling with what collective progress looks like, it is important that we have the courage to have our convictions challenged. Claiming that a space is safe for everyone involved in it is a loaded statement. We function under the assumption that everyone partaking feels safe by merely labeling it as such. In addition to being safe, we need to go one step further to make these spaces brave.

“The brave space idea is really thinking about how you can go out of your comfort zone,” Amjad explained. But what does this brave space entail? How does it differ from a safe space? How is it relevant to the NYU Abu Dhabi community?

It can be difficult to engage with contradicting ideologies and beliefs. It is even more difficult within the NYUAD community, where differences span far and wide and tend to cause friction. A brave space, by the virtue of the linguistic implications of the phrase, requests that participants be brave enough to accept that not everyone in these spaces is experiencing the world the same way as others are. How do we start to speak our discomfort?

Creating brave spaces entails collaborative work, and establishing these spaces requires vulnerability, honesty and empathy from all participants. Guidelines that can create the ideal environment include: speak your discomfort, put words to tension to address imminent conflict or challenge the idea, not the person.

The aim is to encourage authenticity and vocalizing difficulties, while ensuring that these conversations remain respectful of diverse views. “[Participants] are introducing shared language that can be used for shared accountability,” explained Amjad.

First Year Experience has already started labelling First Year Dialogue as a “brave space”. It would be beneficial to extend this practice to Sustained Dialogue, Student Interest Groups and other peer to peer spaces within our community.

But more importantly, how do we create brave spaces in our day to day lives? We need to ensure inclusion in the conversations that we have with our friends, our professors and other people we choose to engage with. Personal growth comes with taking the time out to understand what constitutes our comfort zone, and consistently, albeit gradually, pushing its boundaries to practice vulnerability and honesty. Venturing beyond the edges of our comfort zones into an area of perceived danger will likely reap benefits.

Setting boundaries takes differing forms; from making clear that some aspects of someone’s sense of humor does not sit well with you to ensuring that no one disrupts the time you set aside for yourself.

I believe that a deliberate attempt at introducing the concept of brave spaces will benefit our community and ourselves — we can hold one another accountable and engage in salient conversations that may bring us discomfort while consequentially ensuring that our community is actively striving to uphold its principles of inclusion. Let’s make our spaces brave.