A Generation Already Carrying the Work

Youth leadership is not something waiting in the wings. It is already shaping how countries, communities, and institutions move today.

During my time in Turks and Caicos, I had the opportunity to sit with Antwon H.F. Walkin, AIAS, President of the Turks & Caicos Islands Society of Young Leaders (TCISYL). What began as a conversation quickly opened into something much larger. It was clear that this was not simply an organization creating space for young people to participate, but a movement positioning youth as active architects of national progress.

What stood out most was the way TCISYL approaches leadership as responsibility, not just representation. Their work reflects a deep understanding that civic engagement is not a future aspiration, but a present obligation. They are building the structures, relationships, and confidence needed for young people to step fully into shaping policy, community life, and the decisions that affect their generation.

Their leadership is not symbolic. It is operational. It is strategic. And it is grounded in a clear sense of purpose.

At the public launch of TCISYL, that clarity became even more visible. I met members of the broader team and community and witnessed how intentionally this initiative is being stewarded. Co-founders Andy Missick and Donnie Gardiner Jr. are shaping a vision that treats youth leadership as essential to national development, not as an accessory to it. I was equally encouraged by leaders like Chyenne Astwood, NYAM, a civil engineering student already charting a path of service and impact, and by mentors such as Claudine Ewing, CEO of United Way Turks & Caicos, whose guidance helps anchor this work in sustainability, care, and long-term thinking.

What TCISYL is modeling is what happens when leadership is cultivated early, resourced well, and trusted with real responsibility.

It is a reminder that leadership is not something people grow into by accident. It is built through proximity, mentorship, accountability, and the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the systems that shape everyday life.

This experience reinforced something I continue to see across communities and cultures: when young people are given access, voice, and structural support, they do not wait to be invited into the future. They begin building it.

To learn more about the work of the Turks & Caicos Islands Society of Young Leaders, visit: https://lnkd.in/eMWG_P4S