The Progressive Labour Party (PLP) concluded its annual Delegates Conference this week under the theme “Embracing Our Young People,” but questions about the representation of youth within the party’s Executive have sparked renewed calls for generational inclusion and change.
Speaking after the three-day conference, Shomari Talbot-Woolridge, Deputy Chair of the PLP’s youth arm Progressive Minds, acknowledged that while some younger members do hold positions within the Executive, the overall participation of youth in decision-making remains limited.
“There are some young people involved — I know Ms. Musson is on the Executive and a couple of others,” Talbot-Woolridge said. “Of course, we want as many young people as possible on the Executive. But the delegates make those decisions, and it’s up to them. My work within the youth wing is to bring more young people into that room as delegates to change that landscape.”
Talbot-Woolridge emphasized that real change will come not only from being invited into the room, but from organizing and mobilizing collectively.
“Fifty organized young people could change the landscape of the PLP,” he said. “If we had 50 young people intentionally joining the Party, we could modernize it — bring in 21st-century progressive values and shape the future leadership. The young people have to wake up and realize that if we want a voice in the next party leader, and by extension the next Premier, we need to organize.”
While Talbot-Woolridge said he was not upset about losing his bid for the position of Public Relations Officer, he expressed disappointment that more opportunities to highlight young members during the conference were missed.
“I’m more concerned that the programming could have included young people more — put them front and center,” he explained. “There are already young people working within the Party who could have been featured.”
Talbot-Woolridge also reflected on broader issues of generational disconnect within the Party and across Bermudian society.
“We always talk about the village — how it takes a village to raise a child,” he said. “But we don’t talk about what happens when that village goes astray. We can’t keep blaming the youth. We have to look at what’s wrong with the village — what’s wrong with the systems and attitudes that push young people away.”
He warned that without genuine inclusion and mentorship, young Bermudians may grow increasingly alienated from political and social institutions.
“If young people don’t feel wanted in the village, they’ll burn it down just to feel some warmth,”Talbot-Woolridge said. “Maybe it’s not productive, but it’s human nature. And that’s what we’ve seen — not because of leadership necessarily, but because of how some members within branches treat the youth.”
Reflecting on the legacy of earlier generations of PLP leaders, he urged current members to consider how they are shaping the next generation’s view of the Party.
“Older members talk about their interactions with greats like Freddie Wade, Walter Robinson, and others,” he said. “But I have to ask — what will the next generation say about you? Are you welcoming them? Are you mentoring them? Because if you’re not, that legacy will end.”
Talbot-Woolridge concluded with a message of responsibility and hope.
“The legacy of the PLP is rich and historic, but it can’t continue by turning a cold shoulder to young people,” he said. “We as young Bermudians have to decide what kind of country we want to build. The future is ours — but we have to claim it.”
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