LAST week, I moderated the second session in the Commonwealth Foundation’s Critical Conversation series. The event, entitled “Young Leaders Speak,” was a collaboration with the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust and Commonwealth Youth Council and brought young people together to talk about their leadership experience, activism and demands of Commonwealth institutions.

The main speakers were artist Darrion Narine from Trinidad & Tobago, green business expert Kakembo Galabuzi Brian from Uganda, design thinker Kavindya Thennakoon from Sri Lanka and policy expert Emmanuelle Andrews from the UK. They were joined by Nondumiso Hlophe from Eswatini and Lance Copegog from Canada.

The conversation started with the past. Thennakoon talked about her decision to write an open letter to Commonwealth institutions, calling their attention to the deliberate failure to acknowledge “histories of colonial conquest and the pain, suffering and subjugation” on their websites.

In her letter, she issued three challenges. First, she called on them to acknowledge the impact of colonialism and framing of countries “joining” the Commonwealth as achievements of independence. Second, she called for similar acknowledgement at Commonwealth events. Third, Thennakoon called for people in Commonwealth countries to be involved in decision-making processes.

Given the public nature of this engagement and the interests of young leaders, the open letter was the perfect starting point.

Throughout the virtual event, viewers posed questions that demonstrated a wide range of concerns, from tackling climate change to promoting gender equality. The questions and comments poured in at a rate much faster than we could read and address them, so many went unanswered. Every time events of this kind are held, it is clear people need more opportunities to exchange ideas.

In organising Young Leaders Speak, the Commonwealth Foundation was interested in hearing what young people want Commonwealth institutions to do to support their work and increase its impact. Beyond that, there were many lessons for people in positions of leadership.

The speakers put emphasis on the glaring gaps in diversity and inclusion and the way forward in ensuring people are not tokenised and the voices of marginalised people are heard. They consistently pointed to the need to focus on the value of expertise in young people rather than their youth, often seen as synonymous with — and automatically resulting in — change.

One of the main themes in Young Leader Speakers, including speakers’ contributions and the commentary of views, was inclusion. Young people want to see marginalised communities represented and realise that simply being a young person is not enough.

People in positions to make decisions need to be connected to the communities they represent and diverse communities need to be represented. More specifically, vulnerable communities need to be including in decision-making processes. One young person cannot represent young people with disabilities, young people experiencing poverty, or young LGBTQ+ people.

Narine made an interesting point about acknowledging privilege. The young people who are given opportunities to represent their countries, attend international meetings and participate in discussion panels have privilege. In many cases, they are selected based on opportunities they have had before. Sometimes, they know they are not the best people to be in the rooms they enter, but they either pretend that young people are a monolithic group or act as though they are connected to vulnerable communities when they are not.

Not only do institutions and selection committees need to do their due diligence, but people need to be mindful of their desired outcomes and be willing to share space, recommend other people and decline offers in order to make room for those who need to be heard. This is message many people in organizing and activist spaces need to hear, understand and act upon.

Last week, there was a Women in Parliament event in Nassau that, to those involved in women’s rights work with a feminist approach, made the value-based divisions between organizations clear. This is a division we should know well by now.

From 2014 to 2016, during the period between the announcement of the gender equality referendum and the day of the vote, we saw the divisions between particular groups of people. Women experiencing poverty saw no reason to be concerned about the issue of citizenship conferral because they could not see it affecting them.

CIS women (assigned female at birth) who identify as heterosexual were not concerned about the government’s decision to define sex in particularly narrow, limiting and incorrect terms were not concerned about its impact on trans or intersex people.

There were very few people who cared about the ways people with different identities and realities would be affected by the constitutional amendment bills passing or not passing. It was a clear illustration of the need for multiple and varied voices. Since then, however, most people seem to have learned very little.

Again, look at the group of women who participated in the Women in Parliament event. Convinced they were doing the right thing, speaking up for women they deemed deserving of rights and access to services, they did not pay attention to who was not in the room. Not a single woman who took part in that exercise openly identified as or advocated for LBTQ+ women or migrant women. Organisations that have worked in the women’s rights space for years were not invited or even made aware of the event. Why might that be?

It is easy and gratifying to celebrate the people who are in the room and the communities they represent. The challenge is in asking who is not there and then figuring out why they are absent. Why didn’t anyone think to include them? What information and perspective is missing because they have been ignored and excluded?

No woman is every woman. No woman can speak to the challenges and specific needs of women experiencing poverty, women who are unemployed or underemployed, women who are domestic workers, women who are migrants, women who are experiencing intimate partner violence, women who have disabilities, women who have chronic illnesses, and women who have been trafficked.

No young person can speak to the challenges and specific needs of young people experiencing domestic violence, young people in rural areas, young people who are LGBTQ+ and young people who are at risk of homelessness.

People with these experiences need to be in the room. They ought to be central in decision-making processes.

People and organisations working toward equality and justice have to consistently challenge themselves to find the gaps and figure out how to fill them or support others who are working in those spaces. It is not enough to move most women forward, or to represent most young people. To close the gaps, we have to centre those who are routinely left behind. This needs to be the rule rather than the exception. There must be no one left behind.

POP-UP MARKET HOPPING

AS THE holidays draw near, many are trying to figure out how to shop with limited funds and give meaningful gifts. While online shopping is easy and often less expensive, it is important to support the local economy.

A number of organisations are making it easier to buy Bahamian, setting up pop-up markets with artisans, makers, and entrepreneurs. Be sure to check out the pop-up market at Doongalik on Village Road. Seasonal Sunshine Bahamas is selling a variety of salts infused with goat pepper, rosemary, thyme, and other favourites.

Mu’Dough is offering a variety of delicious bread. Poinciana Paper Press has a clever holiday card collection and Androsia notebooks. Bubbles & Lathers has a wide range of homemade soap. Craft Cottage, on the Doongalik property, is open every day (including this Sunday) so you can check out the wide selection of products made by Bahamian artists.

On Saturday, get a change of scenery by checking out the pop-up market at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas. While there, be sure to check out the Mixed Media store and the sculpture garden. The garden is a great place to relax after checking off everyone on your list.