“We rise by lifting others.”
- Unknown -
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about and studying transformation over the past few years and in particular over the last year and a half as COVID-19 has changed our lives and we contemplate what kind of a world will emerge from the pandemic. I believe that we collectively have the power to determine what that world looks like; that we don’t have to sit on the sidelines and watch that world unfold but that we can actively participate in its creation. I wrote a blog about that early in the pandemic (though we didn’t know it was the early days then). However, anyone who has studied transformation knows that one of the biggest barriers to transformational change is powerful actors who have a vested interests in maintaining the status quo. These actors are often referred to as gatekeepers to change.
Gatekeepers can be institutions entrenched in business as usual and they are often alsos individuals afraid of change. Each one of the young climate leaders from the global South with whom I have the honour of working faces gatekeepers who often prevent them from engaging in climate policy fora and accessing opportunities that will help them learn and grow as researchers, practitioners and would be policy makers. Discussions on how to get gatekeepers onside has become a part of my daily life as I support these young leaders.
I was inspired to write a blog on gender after one of the young women I work with was prevented from participating in a workshop earlier this year. Recently, another young woman I work with was excluded from a discussion by a coalition of gatekeepers. Seeing this happen in real time was eye opening for me. I realized that these gatekeepers have a very pessimistic view of the world. They have a finite, rather than an infinite, mindset which keeps them entrenched in a very myopic view of the world. This most recent experience made me realize that in order to realize transformation that benefits everyone, we must first understand why gatekeepers are so afraid of change. Over the past few months I’ve therefore begun to better understand, and ultimately to empathize with gatekeepers. I decided to write the gatekeepers my young colleagues most recently encountered a letter as a way to process the experience. I hope this also inspires some of these individuals to see the opportunities in empowering young people.
Dear Gatekeepers,
I recently watched as you marginalized and excluded a young woman from the global South from discussions she so desperately wanted to join, from discussions that she had a right to be part of. It made me so profoundly sad to see this happen. We’ve worked together for a longtime now and I know you are so much better than that. The also know that you are afraid. I hope that somehow in writing this message to you that I can inspire you to be braver by helping you see that empowering young people will only make you yourselves more powerful, not less.
I don’t know what went through your heads as you conspired to exclude this young woman. Perhaps you thought that because she is a young, Black woman from a country less economically advantaged, you could easily sideline her. But what you didn’t know is (to take liberties with the immortal words of the great Muhammed Ali): You done tussled with a lioness, Son. That’s not going to work out well for you. And here’s why.
Firstly, those obstacles you put in her way to marginalize her, to keep her quiet, to prevent her new ideas from taking shape – she sees those as opportunities. She uses them to learn and grow. They make her stronger. They are like protein powder for a lioness like her. The philosophy of the stoics is bedtime reading for her. Like all great leaders, she knows that challenges only make her better. Do they make her sad and frustrated momentarily? Sure. But, ultimately they become nourishment on her road to greatness. And make no mistake, she will rise to greatness.
Secondly, lionesses live in prides. They hunt together and protect each other. When you marginalize one, you marginalize them all. Lionesses know that they can do more by working together and when they face challenges, they become collectively stronger. Lionesses also know that they become better when they empower each other. When you stand in their way, they will find ways to move around you and they will ultimately leave you behind if you don’t join them.
Great leaders know implicitly that not only can you get more done when you work with and empower others, but you actually become better yourself. I have real lived experiences and empirical evidence to support this claim. Sure, it also makes me feel better but that's a residual benefit. Ultimately, doing my part to empower young climate leaders makes me much more effective at my job and it definitely makes me a better human.
The young leaders I work with have infinite mindsets. They are motivated by a desire to support the most vulnerable and to scale up climate action in their communities and countries in a way that benefits everyone. They bring new ideas and high levels of enthusiasm and tenacity to our collective work. In doing so, they inspire me to try new things and do more with the tools that I have at my disposal. I know from my own experience that as we empower others, we ourselves expand and we are enabled to make a bigger impact on the world
The fact that you are a gatekeeper tells me that you still believe that the world is a finite game. You believe that if others gain, you will lose. This perspective is not only to your own detriment but to everyone around you and certainly to climate policy at all levels. I believe that life is not a finite game, but an infinite one. The more we empower young people to realize their potential as leaders, the better off we will all be. The more inclusive climate policy is, the more effective it will be. The sooner more of us see this, the faster the world will be transformed in a way that ensures equality for all. Perhaps you believe that the world is a finite game because you haven’t seen evidence to the contrary. I get that and I’ve seen it with my own eyes. The power imbalance between global North and South, which keeps many of you in fear, is something that we need to collectively address. I’ve written about this in previous blogs and won’t belabour this point here, but it is critical that do a better job at recognizing knowledge and expertise from the global South. I
It must be exhausting to continually look over your shoulders and to devise ways to sideline young people you see coming up behind you. I know that many of you just want to feed your families, keep a roof over their heads and make sure your children have all the opportunities you want for them. If only you could see that empowering young people will only make you stronger and better at what you do. If wish that you could be unburdened from the worry you carry.
I learned a long time ago that hurt people hurt people. I firmly believe that if you felt safe and secure, if you felt good about yourself, if you were confident that there is enough for everyone and that everything would turn out okay – that you wouldn’t feel the need to marginalize others and that you certainly wouldn’t choose to bully young, BIPoC women. I want so badly to help you see that the world is so much more that what you perceive it as. That it is not finite and scarce. But I know that your experiences inform how you see the world. I also know as a white person from the global North I have profound privilege. I wish you could see that there are opportunities in change and that empowering others will only bring those opportunities faster. You will have to let go momentarily of this pessimistic perspective as you embrace a more optimistic, expansive view of the world. This might be scary at first, but it will good things. Trust me on this.
First though, we need to work to make sure your basic needs are met and you feel safe and secure and know that your families are too. I would love to hear your ideas about what we could collectively do to assure you and all the other gatekeepers that a post-COVID world can be so much brighter than the world we live in now. We can create a world in which equality on all fronts is realized while we address climate change and promote sustainable development worldwide. A world that celebrates diversity and inclusivity. I truly believe that and hope you will someday soon too. I look forward to working with you.
With best wishes,
Erin
My message to everyone is that if we actually want to realize the transformational change we talk about so often we have to do the work to address the barriers to that change. As a priority we must ensure that everyone has their basic needs met and that they feel safe and secure. That will require addressing the power imbalance between global North and South. It will require acknowledging and elevating expertise and knowledge from the global South and a re-invigoration of indigenous, ancestral and local knowledge to inform governance and policy making. These are just a few of the things are our collective to do list. But the most important work to be done is an inside job. I often invoke a quote by Rumi when I think about transformation:
‘Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
- Rumi –
If we want to create a better world, we must start with ourselves. Many of us are gatekeepers to change because we are afraid of what change will bring. I get it. The world today is marked by levels of uncertainty most of us have never seen. I hope that we can continue to have honest conversations about what we’re afraid of and collectively find ways to address those fears to make way for change.
Erin Roberts is a climate policy researcher and strategist who works thematically on global adaptation and Loss and Damage policy at all levels. Her work focuses on empowering young climate leaders from vulnerable developing countries in the global South. She sometimes writes blogs on Saturday mornings when she feels especially angsty.
