Roshanna Trim graced the cover of our inaugural issue of Today’s Woman where she spoke about using her voice to empower women and girls. We now continue her story as we delve into her passion for youth advocacy.
How can more young people become active forces of change in their communities?
I think it’s really important to identify exactly what issues you’re passionate about because it’s easy to try to be everything for everyone. When you stretch yourself too thin, then you’re not as passionate about what you’re doing. So you have to choose the pace at which you want to effect change. Ask yourself, “what is the change that you want to see”? Once you have chosen that space where you want to see a change, you must then identify how you could begin to do it.
What exactly is the purpose and the importance of the youth council in Barbados?
The youth council is really the umbrella organisation for all youth organisations in Barbados. Our goal is to create programs and policies and to advise the government on the issues and challenges for young people. Basically, we are the voice of the youth at the table.
How has being the chairperson of the Caribbean Regional Youth Council differed from your Presidency of the Barbados Youth Development Council?
The Caribbean Regional Youth Council (CRYC) caters to all the national youth councils across the region. The main difference is that CRYC is about regional advocacy so it’s not just advocating on the behalf of Barbadian people. It’s about saying that Caribbean young people, regardless of where you live, share very common issues. High unemployment, high levels of non-communicable diseases(NCDS), feelings of disenchantment. My task has now become, “How do we harness the voice of the young people across the region to create change at a regional level and not just a local level?”.
What does it mean for you to be the voice of the entire Caribbean youth?
Media houses will call and people will talk to me about different things and ask me questions and that’s just in Barbados. I look across the region and I see so much potential but then I walk into a space like the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting and the average age of everybody on the table comes up to about 45 to 50. But then they plan to talk about young people at that meeting, and to me, that doesn’t make any sense. So being the chairperson of CRYC means that there is an opportunity for me to actively say to regional leaders that what we’re doing right now isn’t good enough. That young people have a lot to say and we don’t just want you to deliver the programs; we want you to be at the table talking about what it is that you’re bringing to us. We have ideas; we have a viewpoint.
Describe the kind of Caribbean society you dream of for our current youth?
If I had to describe my vision of the ideal Caribbean society it would be one where we could travel freely across the region. To be able to just pick up and go to Grenada and see my friends and hang out. To be able to support our regional neighbours without having to spend a whole bunch of money. It would also be one where young people have a seat at the table. We (young people) are actively crafting the Caribbean that we want to see, and moreover, we are valued for both our ideas and our labour and people see us as a resource that you can come to. The Caribbean I dream of is one where, at the end of the day, you don’t feel like you have to leave to better yourself. Our aim shouldn’t be to accumulate enough money to get out. I want young people to see the Caribbean as a place where they could thrive; where they could succeed.
Who are some fellow Caribbean youth paving a way for their fellow youth?
Anya Edwin, she is the Vice Chair of Resource Mobilisation on the Caribbean Regional Youth Council. She’s from St. Lucia. She is outspoken, dynamic; just a phenomenal young woman. Dominique Noralez from Belize. She’s been doing a lot of work as it relates to public awareness and democracy. Also Krystal Tomlinson in Jamaica.
Career aside, what are some of your other goals?
To enjoy life. Everything can get pretty hectic and difficult. So I make sure to make a habit of enjoying life. To have an impact on the people I encounter is another goal of mine. Maybe kids at some point far away so my mother can just have grandchildren to take care of. I’d like to explore the world, to do cool stuff and just generally enjoy life.
What does a typical day of Roshanna’s look like?
Most days I wake up around six to get ready for work. If I’m not getting ready for work, then I’m getting ready for school (I have one more course to complete at UWI ). I’ll spend the day at work and then I will go home and work on projects or I’ll do a meeting for whatever youth projects I’m currently working on. I’m currently an intern at the Prime Minister’s office for ‘We Gatherin’.
What words of wisdom would you give to the general youth of the Caribbean?
We need to realise or be aware that there are so many young people doing so many amazing things. We have to start betting on ourselves, betting on our friends and showing up. You know how Rihanna recently said ‘pull up?’ Pull up! If your friend is a young woman and she is doing something that you see is positive, ‘pull up’! If your friend is advocating for something you can get behind ‘pull up’!
What else is there to Roshanna Trim?
I’m Caribbean to the bone! I was born in Guyana and raised in Barbados. I am a Combermerian. I enjoy doing fun stuff like hanging out with friends and sleeping. But mostly, I enjoy a lot of the things I get to experience and live through.
(by Reniece Bonnett and Mark Yarde)
