TTT Live Online UWI Distinguished Alumni Lecture Highlights Role Of Youth And Partnerships In Change

How do you put the power to decide how society evolves into the hands of the masses?

This was one of the questions posed as the 2026 UWI Alumni Association (Trinidad and Tobago Chapter) Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series began its 2026 edition on Thursday.

The topic up for discussion was Civil Society and Caribbean Sustainability: Honouring Voice, Power and Responsibility.

President of the organisation, Cheridan Woodruffe, was one of three panellists focusing on questions arising from the topic. He said community-level groupings are widespread across Trinidad and Tobago.

“There are over 7,000 listed community groups in Trinidad and Tobago. Of course, there was no number for the Caribbean, all they said was that there was a large number. But it also taught me and told me, clearly the point has been made on two occasions that if these 7,000 group members recognise their power and the voice that they can have and really cooperate as civil society, we can and will make the difference.”

Another panellist, CEO of the Heroes Foundation, Lawrence Arjoon, said young people are setting the example for the adults in our society.

“I think understanding how the system works and what we need to do or how we need to operate in the system is a starting point for young people if you want to start change. I honestly believe that if adults engage with one another in the way children engage with one another, we’d be a lot better. I love the work that we do with young people because they are honest.”

Meanwhile, member of the Rotary Club of Central Port of Spain, Lara Quentrall-Thomas, said the beginning is building partnerships.

“We should be lobbying together for legislative changes. For example, and Lawrence had spoken about this in his speech, in some countries in Europe it is legislated that every single government planning and development project, for example, must have a representative of the differently-abled, and women, because women’s needs in cities and urban spaces are very different from men’s, and young people, as a minimum.”

Ms. Quentrall-Thomas stressed that to make a change, laws are not enough, but being in the room to influence the actual decisions is of paramount importance.

“When we build schools, are we building period-friendly schools for our girls? We’re not because there are no girls at the table helping to design schools. I bet you every school in this country, same building plan from 194…, probably 1980 or so, building, building, building. We’re not evolving, we’re not listening. So, to me, legislation – that’s where we can collaborate to make meaningful change.”

The event is organised by the Distinguished Alumni Committee of the UWI Alumni Association of Trinidad and Tobago.

Watch the full video on YouTube