Young people were urged to stand firm against rising crime and embrace a path of moral leadership at the opening of the CALM Future Leaders Forum, where community figures called for integrity, resilience and purpose amid troubling national statistics.
Held at the Courtyard by Marriott, the forum brought together students from Queen’s College, Springer Memorial, Deighton Griffith, Parkinson Memorial and Christ Church Foundation to engage in discussions on ethics, leadership and personal development.
The event, hosted by the Pinelands Creative Workshop, opened with words of encouragement and reflection from its chief executive officer, Sophia Greaves, and board director, Suleiman Bulbulia, who both emphasised the urgent need for strong, principled leadership among the island’s youth.
Their call comes amid grim statistics from acting Commissioner of Police Erwin Boyce, who revealed that more than 1 300 young people aged between 15 and 29 have been charged this year. “One of the areas that concern us… is the youth involvement in criminal activity,” Boyce said, adding that many of those charged are young men.
Bulbulia acknowledged these realities, noting that Barbados and the wider Caribbean are “grappling with unprecedented waves of violence, murder and abuse”. Addressing the gathered students, he posed a challenge: “How do you as young people, young men and women, who have chosen a different path, make a positive and enduring impact on your societies?”
He reminded the participants that leadership is rooted in moral courage and integrity, qualities that must remain “non-negotiable, uncompromising and rock solid”. Using the story of a Cherokee Native American grandfather teaching his grandson about two battling wolves — one representing good and the other evil — he urged the youth to “always strive to go towards that which is right… feed that impulse in you to be moral, to be upright”.
Greaves reinforced that leadership is not about titles but influence, resilience and purpose. “It took leadership to allow us to have that kind of direction and vision to be able to exist for the duration we have,” she said, noting that for 47 years, the Pinelands Creative Workshop has thrived through steadfast guidance and community focus.
The programme seeks to expose participants to national development conversations so they can recognise “that there is hope in this room… where these are the potential leaders that can drive our society forward”, she added.
Both speakers urged participants to reject despair and embrace their roles as agents of change. “Barbados needs you,” Bulbulia said. “Be the leader you can be, be the beacon of light that others may follow.”
(LE)
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