Women parliamentarians launch new programme for future leaders

The Women Parliamentarians of TT (WPTT) are encouraging women between the ages of 18-29 to register for the second edition of its leadership programme.

The initiative called the YES Leadership Programme was designed to empower young women to become future leaders, not only in Parliament but also in the professional world.

The WPTT was formed in November 2023 and is an apolitical, non-governmental organisation, committed to supporting current, past and future women parliamentarians.

Newsday spoke to the Projects and Programmes Officer of the WPTT Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan on February 7 by phone to get more insight into the programmes.

"The mission is to dismantle socio-economic, cultural and political barriers that hinder effective participation and representation of women in parliament and other political decision-making spaces."

She said while women make up almost 50 per cent of the world's population, in TT, women in the current Parliament account for 31 per cent of total membership -– 11 in the House of Representatives, 11 in the Senate, out of 72 members of parliament.

"While our women fare well academically, the issue is we don't find them in those political decision-making spaces.

"This is why this organisation was formed. We see it all over the world – women parliamentarians with the same mission."

Seepersad-Bachan, a former minister under the People's Partnership administration between 2010-2015 and former leader of the Congress of the People, said the WPTT comprises of approximately 40 members from all political parties, including the PNM, UNC, and COP.

The current executive comprises the president, Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George; vice-president, former independent senator Gail Merhair; secretary, former minister, Tina Grounlund-Nunez; treasurer, former minister Christine Newallo-Hosein; public engagement officer, MP Anita Haynes-Alleyne; and Pennelope Beckles-Robinson serves as the mentorship and training officer.

YES Leadership Programme

The leadership programme, now in its second year, is co-chaired by former independent senator Amrita Deonarine and former MP Stacy Roopnarine.

Seepersad-Bachan said registration opened in late January and closes on February 12.

"The rigorous six-eight week programme is designed to provide a practical blend of professional development, mentorship and networking. It consists of interactive workshops, leadership training, and practical exercises designed to prepare young women for parliamentary leadership.

"These training workshops will take place both in-person and virtually and tentatively run from mid-April to June. The sessions cover a variety of topics, including leadership development, research and debate skills, media engagement, advocacy, data analysis, and artificial intelligence. The training will also address parliamentary procedures and protocols," she said.

Seepersad-Bachan said the skills being learned in the programme are aimed at helping parliamentarians in the 21st century.

"I don't see the reason why we can't start training some of these young women to become change agents in the parliament.

"Our parliament right now is on the spectrum of being a rubber stamp parliament. We would like to see a more transformative legislature, capable of influencing policy decision-making."

She said the transformative legislature will add more value and meaning to the future of the country.

"In our current parliamentary debate, we hear a lot of things being said, but it's not really evidence-based and data-driven.

"If you want to be credible and want to influence policy, your argument must be evidence-based and data-driven.

The WPTT is encouraging women from diverse religious, ethnic, educational and income backgrounds, including those with disabilities, to participate. It said it was also committed to ensuring the inclusion of young women from Tobago.

"This programme offers an invaluable opportunity to learn from and exchange ideas with MPs, diplomats, subject matter experts, academics, and community activists.

Seepersad-Bachan said last year's participants were appreciative of the opportunity to be guided by former and current parliamentarians.

She said she was pleased with the outcome of last year's programme.

"What I saw was they were very shy (in the beginning) and the girls that emerged from the programme on the last day, were two different girls.

"You saw how they came into themselves, the confidence they developed, the way they spoke (improved) and what their leadership style was."

The programme concludes with a simulated parliamentary debate on a topic relevant to the country's landscape.

"Last year, our exciting topic was sextortion advocated by the Association of Intentional Female Judges for legislation to make sextortion a criminal offence. We were happy that three female judges of the local chapter facilitated a session on the topic for last year’s participants."

Seepersad-Bachan said that the WPTT will continue to bridge the gap by encouraging more women to take on leadership positions.

"Women in politics have always faced very serious challenges. It has always been a very difficult thing for women.

A group like this (WPTT) trying to mentor and train and develop younger women as they enter politics, it's something we wished we would have had when we were in politics."

Seepersad-Bachan said the WPTT hopes to have an equal amount of women in the parliament within the next five-ten years.

How to apply

The application requires a completed form and a video submission, which should be no longer than three minutes.

In the video, applicants must introduce themselves and explain their interests or hobbies. They should also share why they are interested in the initiative, what they hope to achieve from the programme and their goals as aspiring leaders.

Additionally, applicants should discuss the challenges in TT they are committed to addressing, why young women’s voices are crucial in leadership and why they believe they are well-suited for the programme.

For more information visit - https://bit.ly/3Q3s5pr

Completed applications must be e-mailed to womenparliamentarianstt@gmail.com