By Aleigha General
What does it mean to be a young person? A youth? Does it mean still living with your parents or attending school? Does it mean experiencing the world through a youthful, hope-filled lens or does it mean being unclear about the way the world works?
Perhaps it’s somewhere in the middle. Youth is an ongoing, dynamic state of being that encompasses so many different life lessons. The experiences of a 14-year-old will vary greatly from that of a 24-year-old; however, the one experience that can be considered fairly common amongst youth is the dismissal of their expertise, their intentions and their political and social awareness by older members of society.
It can be tempting for older adults, upon hearing the term ‘youth’ or ‘young person’, to automatically assume naïveté and frivolousness. However, taking a moment to speak to the youth will show just how in-tune young people, especially young Caymanians, are with the way their government and society at large serve them.
As divisive as politics can be, this election season the youth of the Cayman Islands have rallied around a common cause: political involvement and influence for young Caymanians. These young people want to be seen and heard and, through the dedication of groups like Sustainable Cayman, Protect Our Future, Inclusion Cayman, the Cayman Islands CARICOM Youth Ambassadors and the Alex Panton Foundation, their presence is becoming louder by the day.
The second youth-led political forum will be held on Thursday, 19 Dec. from 6-8pm at the South Sound Civic Centre. Since the first iteration of this event in April 2021, there have been significant changes to Cayman’s political (and physical) climate, with the government having just recently been restructured for the second time in the past year-and-a-half.
These changes have raised questions amongst the youth who are gearing up to vote (some for the first time, others for the second) regarding the direction of the Cayman Islands and how they can be involved in the path ahead. In order to do this, the organisers of the forum have invited all 19 Members of Parliament to attend and are encouraging new candidates to participate in this historic and intergenerational discussion.
Those who have accepted the invitation as of 1 Dec. are Deputy Premier Kenneth Bryan; MPs McKeeva Bush, André Ebanks and Sabrina Turner; and George Town West candidate Hunter Walton.
Due to previous commitments, Katherine Ebanks-Wilks, Barbara Conolly, Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, Roy McTaggart and Joey Hew have declined the invitation.
The previous forum was well attended by the general populace given the time constraints, with approximately 50 members of the public coming to the event. However, the forum is predicted to have even lower candidate turnout than the previous with only five confirmed candidates (compared to 12 in 2021).
Moderated panel
Nevertheless, the forum will be run in two parts. The first will comprise a moderated panel of candidates in which they will be asked questions by the event organisers and will be expected to answer publicly. This will give attendees the chance to see how their ideal candidates perform under pressure and how well they can articulate their viewpoints regarding sensitive topics pertinent to Cayman’s growth and development.
The second portion of the forum, following a short intermission, will feature a set of group sessions in which members of the public can ask questions of specific candidates who interest them and request that they share their views on past, present and future policies.
This aspect of the forum caters to people who are looking for more interpersonal responses from candidates and would like to see how they interact with the public on a person-to-person basis. It also provides the opportunity to ask questions that may not have been presented by the moderator.
The questions will be based on topics such as environmental sustainability, social inclusion, cost of living, mental health services, the education system, preservation of culture and sustainable development, among others. Each of these topics plays a key role in the structure of Cayman’s political environment and represents the key concerns of young Caymanians.
To provide more insight into the creation of the event and what the organisers hope to gain from it, Alex Panton Youth Ambassador Cristin Jackson was kind enough to answer questions surrounding the forum and its importance.
‘Collective endeavour’
Jackson described the forum as a ‘collective endeavour’ that has taken consistency and dedication to put together, having been in development since August 2024, four months prior to the event’s actual date. Ensuring intersectionality was paramount for Jackson and her teammates, as the key priorities were established covering a wide range of topics across an even wider range of time zones.
Despite some organisers studying abroad in the UK, the US and Canada, they have been able to reach out to non-profit organisations, local influencers, political candidates and media outlets to spread the word whilst gaining expertise and insight. The dedication that has gone into making this event a reality is a testament to the importance of discussions such as this.
When asked why she and her teammates wanted to organise the event in the first place, Jackson said, “We want to ensure our voices are heard and that our perspectives are included in policy decisions,” while continuing to stress the importance of fostering healthy, democratic dialogue within the community.
She emphasised that “the privileges of living in a democratic environment coincide with the responsibility of being an active and engaged citizen. It is not always easy to do so, which is why we created this forum to help bridge the gap.”
Facilitating dialogue
It is not uncommon for young people to feel isolated from their political environment, particularly when their candidates or officials are significantly older, but when they are allowed to carve out a place for themselves within the discussion, it facilitates dialogue, allowing new generations to take the lead and reaffirm their place in the democratic process.
Ambassadors such as Jackson believe firmly that this dialogue will present a new perspective to older persons that young people are not just Cayman’s future in name but that they are actively and excitedly involved in all the decisions along the way, revealing the informed and attentive young men and women that Cayman has helped foster.
This dialogue’s main goal is to give young people the space to ask their questions, get involved and ultimately get registered to vote. By creating a safe environment for said involvement, the youth ambassadors hope they will be part of the reason that young people see the value in their voices and use them to foster positive change.
They hope to help young Caymanians seeking legitimate answers from political candidates to strengthen their democratic experiences and remind potential candidates that young people’s perspectives always are, and always will be, significant to the wellbeing of the Cayman Islands.
As young people themselves, the various ambassadors involved hope to create a wave of authentic dialogue that teaches political candidates for the distant future the importance of viewing multiple perspectives and taking the time to truly see eye-to-eye with one’s constituents.
Aleigha General was the recipient of the Cayman Compass 2023 Journalism Scholarship.
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