“There’s a mismatch of intellectualisation… a recycling of thoughts and recycling of interesting discussions that do not translate to change.” – Dr. Chaney St. Martin

THIS single statement has weighed on my mind for much of this past week, and I couldn’t help but draw attention to it and what it points to. For context, this was said by Dr. St Martin as part of his presentation at a Youth Economic Forum organised by the Department of Economics at the University of the West Indies (UWI).

This forum was organised as a way of allowing youth to share their perspectives on COVID-19- its impact and ramifications and recovering from the pandemic, while simultaneously having a platform to become a bit more conscious of the still unravelling pandemic.

I’ve been part of many fora and discussions such as these for COVID-19 and before COVID-19, because of the nature of my academic and professional pursuits. And a contention I have always had is whether the informed presentations made are taken and translated into effecting real change for the matter at hand.

Like Dr. Chaney said, sometimes I feel as though these conversations don’t translate to change. I am under no illusion that these necessary actions are easily done, nor am I unaware that for some little change to occur, there must be an exponentially greater amount of work done to facilitate that. I contend that in many ways I know that we (I am guilty of this, as well too) continue to say things in the same spaces, to the same set of people all the time.

At the same time, however, I recognise that fundamentally, these discussions have their merits. First and foremost, they edify the target audience. This is important since I am of the firm opinion that knowledge is indeed power. Then, I recognise that such platforms allow for the presentation of diverse views and provide persons with the opportunity of contributing meaningfully to edifying others on the subject matter and potentially providing solutions to the challenges faced.

My Trinbagonian friend Ruqayyah Scott was a presenter on this panel. I met Ruqayyah years ago when we both represented our countries on a leadership and cultural exchange programme, and now we’re at the same university, sharing a few of the same courses in the same faculty. Importantly, she was just elected President of the UWI’s Economics Society.

For me, her participation in this panel alongside the academic and professional heavyweights is indicative of young people getting into these spaces and diversifying the population of people that both speak and listen to these conversations all of the time. Further, Ruqayyah is active in a few youth organisations in the twin-island republic, and I highlight this to underscore that just by her being in these spaces there is more leeway for her to draw in a wider cross-section of people (in this case, youth) into the discourse. And for me, this is step one in moving beyond just the recycling of these interesting discussions.

I believe that youth are empowered when they recognise that they don’t have to ask for a ‘seat at the table,’ but instead they show (though, easier said than done) that their views and ideas are just as important and can be improved through engagement.

Bringing it home to Guyana now, I see some mismatch and recycling too. The last column I wrote featured the discussion restarted on alternative approaches to Guyana’s governance model, this time factoring in oil. For years, decades even, we’ve known that our ‘winner-takes-all’ governance model is not wholly effective in catering for, what seems to be, more than half of the population at any given point. I understand how oil and Guyana’s 2020 elections have a distinctive interplay, but fundamentally, I believe that we are sometimes susceptible to still recycling and recycling discussions that do not really lead to any real change.

The more contemporary emphasis on a local governance structure is one area that I know of where I can say that I genuinely feel some change being made in Guyana. And I am appreciative of the devolution of decision-making and government services to the local communities.

At the regional and general governance levels, however, I’m part of that cadre of young people who simply feel disillusioned at this time, and I’d want nothing more than for us to take all the studies and discussions had and translate those into some meaningful change.

Today, I would have been back in Guyana, proudly saying that I’ve completed the first year of my undergraduate degree here in Trinidad. During circumstances largely beyond anyone’s control, I’m going to have to sit tight for a little while longer. Despite this, I feel the weight of all that’s happening in Guyana and want to see us moving past this quagmire and the age-old divisions that have consumed us and I want to see us fighting COVID-19 as best as we can.

Translating discussions into action. Food for thought.