From Barbuda to New Haven

Transformation happens when we create intentional spaces for exposure to new ideas.

Over the last year, I’ve worked with a school in Barbuda to support student-led culture change, purpose discovery, and skill development at the island’s only secondary school. The student leadership team, known as the Dreamers, recently hosted a powerful community event that brought together their peers, school leaders, and community members to talk about the issues most pressing for young people on the island. It was a success for many reasons, but most importantly, it gave the team their first win as they worked together toward something bigger than themselves. The momentum mattered, and so did the question they asked: “What’s next?” They soon realized they wanted to create a full day of experiences, something that could bring students, teachers, and the broader community together in a way that felt joyful, meaningful, and led by them and other student leaders. 

At the same time, I was reconnecting with a school community that shaped so much of my own philosophy around youth leadership and team-building: High School in the Community in New Haven, Connecticut. During my nine years there, we developed Fly Choices Day, a day-long tradition where student leaders design and lead interactive, creative, community-focused workshops for their peers. For one day, students take over the school experience. It has become an annual tradition, something student leaders look forward to and an opportunity to cultivate the next generation of leadership within the school. As luck (and timing) would have it, the week I was finishing up some storytelling work with HSC was also one of their final weeks preparing for Fly Choices Day.

It was the perfect moment to connect these two groups of student leaders. And while it was not in either plan of work with these two distant communities, it took less than two weeks to plan and make it happen. The idea was simple: a lightly facilitated, 30-minute Zoom session where student leaders could meet, share advice, ask questions, and learn from one another. The adult leaders on both sides were immediately excited. They checked in with students, and within a few days, we had a Friday session scheduled with half a dozen student leaders from each community eager to connect.

The session ended up lasting nearly an hour, and could have gone longer. Yes, some of that time was spent troubleshooting wifi, video, and sound. But once everyone was in the same virtual room, introduced themselves, and began talking… the magic happened. HSC student leaders shared how Fly Choices Day works in practice. Students in Barbuda asked thoughtful questions about preparation, engagement, and building excitement. Then the questions started flowing the other way: what inspired the Dreamers to bring their community together? What had they learned so far? What were they hoping to build next?

Toward the end of our time, I asked one final question: “Why do you lead, and why do you continue to step up to lead?”

Jenaecia shared: “I’ve always been a very outspoken person… I love leading, I love talking, I love having a positive impact on people, and I really like when people look up to me.”

Bella immediately responded: “I feel that… I feel like we’re the same person.”

Japhet added: “I took a leap, and from there it was a realization, ‘why I haven’t been leading sooner?’”

Across the Zoom screen, heads nodded. Then, Jonily closed with a mic-drop moment:

“Leaders aren’t just outgoing, outspoken people. Leaders can also be the quiet ones that are terrified of speaking but still want to do their best.”

Over the next few days, these student leaders, who are separated by thousands of miles and living in completely different communities, stayed connected. They messaged on WhatsApp. They began writing a blog post together. And while the immediate impact was clear, I’m confident there’s much deeper transformation at work because what they experienced was more than a conversation, it was the type of exposure that expands our world. It gives them proof that young people across the world are choosing to step up and lead. That regardless of where you live, there is so much shared experience, so much similarity, and so much we can learn from one another.

Our communities deserve joyful, intentional, youth-led spaces. And young leaders everywhere deserve reminders that they are not alone.