About Us

SpeakUpETH is a project that was inspired by Payeton EPFL and was started in the spring semester of 2021 at the ETH Zurich by the student association (VSETH) with support of the non-faculty scientific staff association (AVETH). Through displaying testimonials and experiences of fellow students, the project hopes to highlight instances of discrimination, sexual harassment, general disadvantages etc. at ETH, in order to raise awareness of these topics, as well as making students feel like they are not alone. We also offer our support to students who share their stories by leading them to the relevant services and providing a point of contact. 

At the moment we are a team of 14 enthusiastic students who want to see a change at ETH regarding this topic. The SpeakUpETH project was a project that stemmed from the results of the WiegETHs survey, which showed a lot of potential in making the ETH Zurich a more respectful place for students.

See what motivated our current members to join SpeakUp ETH:

“I have had some difficult experiences at ETH, where I didn‘t speak up. So now I want to help others do what I was afraid to.“

“I believe that people are often unaware of the impact their words and actions can have on others. Therefore, seeing testimonials such as the ones we post might help these persons realise that while not meant to harm, their behaviour is sometimes hurtful.”

“In the bigger picture, I hope #speakupETH helps in the fight for a more inclusive environment. I think it’s important that everyone can raise issues and people are aware of what goes wrong at ETH.”

“I want to ensure that every person at ETH has a voice when they encounter a difficult situation and can share this in a safe environment. I hope that sharing these stories leads to people not feeling alone if they encounter something similar.”

“This is the place where I feel I can make a difference the most.”

“I want to help people with bad experiences (at ETH). Supporting them as well as giving them a voice is a crucial tool to possibly prevent self-blame or even worse reactions to negative experiences.”

“Because I want people to know that they are not alone with their experiences, and that we can make a change!”

Join us

Are you interested in what we do and want to know more about SpeakUp ETH? We are looking forward to hearing from you! Do you want to be a part of the SpeakUp ETH team? Do you want to help us with communication or work on the testimonials? Do you have a vision for SpeakUp? We would be excited to have you on the team!

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

speakupeth@vseth.ethz.ch

speakupeth

How we work

  • We are very aware that it is not possible for us to verify each testimonial, and that is also not what we aim to do. Instead, we hope that the stories that come up create an environment where issues are talked about and positive change is sparked.
  • We make sure that all testimonials are censored correctly, to not include any individual, organizational body or identifying details. This way, the focus is on your experience instead of culpable individuals.
  • If contact details are given, we might reach out to the person if any big changes are made that exceed “spelling and grammar changes”. 
  • We will support you, if you want to report your experience without the censored facts. As soon as you send us a testimonial with your contact details, we reach out to see in which way we can be of support.