Youth Groups in the Caribbean Are Working Towards Stronger Climate Resilience
By Princess Charles || Guest Blogger
Credit: Caribbean Women in Leadership (CIWiL)
Climate advocacy is prevalent in the Caribbean, with youth and feminist-led organizations taking charge to equip groups with the knowledge and awareness of climate change throughout the region. Climate change continues to impact Caribbean countries through loss and damage, adverse weather patterns, and threats to the safety of communities. In Jamaica for example, there's an increase in the frequency of severe hurricanes and tropical storms, with the occurrence now being every 3.8 years instead of 9.4 years. On increasing temperatures, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts an increase in temperature of between 0.94 to 4.18 degrees Celsius. These are few of the many outcomes that have motivated youth-led and feminist organizations to provide the necessary resources and education on advancing climate resilience initiatives.
Youth and feminist-led organizations throughout the Caribbean have taken charge to amplify the urgency for inclusion and climate resilient strategies in their communities. Intersectional feminists and climate activists continue to be at the forefront of advocating for the representation and awareness on the impacts of climate change in the Caribbean and more specifically, its effects on groups at high risk such as girls, women, LGBTQIA+ communities, indigenous groups, and persons with disabilities.
Youth and feminist-led action remains prevalent throughout the Caribbean. Challenging gendered disparities, Caribbean Women in Leadership (CIWiL) this organization has advanced women’s transformational leadership and representation in a political sphere. Through their work they've created opportunities for feminists and activists throughout the region to engage on the gendered perspectives of climate change. One of their recent events was a virtual forum entitled, “Conversations on COP 27- A Gender Perspective”, which featured Una May Gordon, a Senior Environment and Climate Change Expert and Sapphire Alexander, Founder of Caribbean Feminist.
UN Women Caribbean is another organization that's dedicated to gender equality and opportunities for women empowerment. Some of their strategic priorities include providing opportunities for girls and women to contribute to and have greater influence in building sustainable peace and resilience, and benefit equally from the prevention of natural disasters and conflicts. They continually work towards progressing the Sustainable Development Goals that can create safer and equitable systems for girls and women.
Alongside these organizations follow The Breadfruit Collective, Caribbean Feminist, GirlsCARE Jamaica, and Girl UP Caribbeans, many that are grassroots, feminist and youth led groups who have made a significant impact on feminist leadership, climate advocacy, and youth involvement. Their involvement has amplified the calls and urgency for youth engagement and inclusion in climate justice and resilience actions.
These organizations have made an imperative decision to build a network backed by feminist and climate advocacy amongst countries in the region. One example is The Breadfruit Collective (TBC), a gender and environmental justice registered non-profit organization (NGO) in Guyana. They aim to work alongside women, girls, and gender-diverse people to eliminate gender-based violence by pushing for policy change, aiding in self-healing, and providing leadership training and mutual aid support. Christine Samwaroo, founder of the organization shared that TBC relies on partnerships with groups in Guyana and across the Caribbean to carry out its work.
The actions and programs created by TBC increase the opportunities for youth empowerment and encourages youth to incorporate their passions, individual experiences, and interests on climate and gender justice. TBC remains a pillar of advocacy in Guyana and the wider Caribbean. Some of their work includes the Annual Caribbean Women for Climate Justice conference in partnership with the Climate Conscious Podcast, the Dear Future Guardians Program, and the Dear Future Women Ambassador Programme. Through these programs and events, TBC provides hands-on learning, mentorship, and educational resources on the intersections of climate and feminist activism.
Christine's work on climate and environmental advocacy has also expanded to other NGOs. She has also contributed to the work of GirlsCARE Jamaica’s Young Women's Climate Change Mentorship Programme. This year she served as the Programme Coordinator. She describes GirlsCARE JA as a feminist group that aims to connect women across the Caribbean to build their capacity in feminist teachings and intersectional climate justice.
GirlsCARE JA is a prominent organization of Jamaican climate scholar-activists who utilize their platforms and voices to create space and empower young women to advocate for gender justice in climate action. They continue to work towards collective growth and mentorship through their regional program and training on climate advocacy. Each year, GirlsCARE hosts a climate mentorship program that invites girls and women to receive mentorship, training, and involvement in promoting an intersectional and feminist-led approach to climate activism. Through their program, they aim to address the systemic disparities that exacerbate the climate crisis.
From personal experience as a mentee of the 2023 cohort and recipient of the inaugural Peggy Antrobus Award of Excellence, this further established the foundation for challenging the multiplier effects of the climate crisis. This program explores how feminist ideologies can lead to inclusivity and equal opportunities for marginalized groups on climate advocacy and resilience. With a key focus on systemic challenges, this program dives into the intersections of identity to the vulnerabilities of climate risks, social displacement, and disenfranchisement.
On feminist leadership, another organization at the forefront is Caribbean Feminist, a non-profit organization that empowers feminists through gender justice initiatives. Caribbean Feminist's engagement in the climate sphere has intertwined with the activities of other climate organizations. Sapphire Alexander, founder of the organization has shared her experiences with Caribbean Feminist in events such as participating as a guest speaker in the GirlsCARE Mentorship Programme's 2023 cohort and moderating the Solidarity Circle: Centering Caribbean Feminists for the Caribbean Women for Climate Justice 2023 Virtual Conference. Sapphire’s engagement in inter-regional and international activities through Caribbean Feminist shows the importance of building meaningful connections worldwide.
Creating and engaging in youth and feminist-led climate groups comes with its challenges as much as its successes. Christine identified one of these challenges being the inequality of opportunities to lead. She said, “We need to rethink leadership and who gets to lead, think of those most affected by climate injustice e.g. indigenous people, persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA, marginalized groups.”
Quite often the opportunities for engagement in the climate crisis are limited to persons in the Caribbean. Leadership roles are far and few. Creating opportunities for youth to learn about climate change and engage in climate justice campaigns has been done largely by regional organizers. There is an urgent need for more opportunities for the inclusion of Caribbean representatives in climate resilience planning and actions. Regional organizations have recognized this call and are continually amplifying the calls for this to happen.
Girl UP Caribbeans is another organization that utilizes its platform to create a forum for feminist and climate activists to discuss matters on the climate crisis, gender disparities, disability rights, and labor rights. Their work helps to address the challenges of representation and awareness for the intersection of gender disparities to systemic and socio-economic issues. In advancing these actions, they show how climate change exacerbates the safety risks for girls and women. For their climate advocacy initiatives, they also encourage their members to participate in the Care about Climate campaign by planting more trees, and raising awareness on waste pollution, and how to protect the environment.
The efforts from these organizations increase the awareness of climate change risks for marginalized and vulnerable communities. With a key focus on youth involvement, they show how collective action must include youth voices. By utilizing their platforms for these initiatives, they serve as catalysts for a climate-resilient region. Their efforts and the collaboration that's created on a regional and international scale has amplified the calls for policy integration in youth and gendered climate resilience.
As impactful as the actions of these organizations continue to be, it must be followed with policies and practices that are enforced by policymakers and governing agencies. Strategic planning must take place which allows for gender responsive and youth-led policies such as the UN Women Strategic Plan for the period 2022-2025. This plan focuses on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals to achieve gender equality for girls and women through consultation and recommendation for gender equity.
Policy based solutions and actions can be incorporated at local and regional levels to advance climate resilience. This would address the challenges faced by youth on gendered barriers that girls and women for example experience, such as personal safety risks and reduced access to education and Healthcare during a climate disaster. With such integration, youth groups can look forward to more opportunities for their involvement, representation, and for solutions that prioritize their safety and well-being.
About the Author
Princess Avianne Charles is a Trinbagonian writer with articles on human rights, labour laws, climate and environmental justice, and occupational safety and health. Princess holds a degree in Occupational Safety and Health and is the recipient of the inaugural Peggy Antrobus Award of Excellence from the GirlsCARE Mentorship Programme. Her work centers providing safer spaces and risk-reduction strategies for communities and the environment.