Bermuda’s future leaders have urged the community to come together and be the change they want to see in the world.

The four participants in the Future Leaders programme who spoke at the 36th Bermuda Industrial Union Labour Day banquet on Friday also asked their elders not to underestimate the potential of young people and to recognise the contribution they can make to society.

The three-week summer service Future Leaders scheme saw students explore topics including activism, racism, gang violence and poverty.

Robert Thomas spoke about crime, poverty and inequality and the last was still something “we don’t really talk about”.

But he added that problems like a the wage gap between black people and white people, as well as between women and men, were “things we need to know as young people and have in our minds because as we grow up we will be the ones who make a difference in these social issues”.

Mr Thomas explained that as part of the programme, the participants visited the Salvation Army Shelter and he was surprised to hear that “most people” stayed at the shelter for 15 years.

He added: “People in Bermuda are struggling, people in Bermuda are going through hard times and, yes, we may be sitting here in our suits and enjoying this beautiful dinner but some people don’t have this privilege.

“We as Bermuda need to realise that some people are in struggle and some people are in poverty and we, as young people, need to know this and we cannot be excluded from these statistics because these are the statistics that we are going to be changing.”

He also said that crime had been rampant since the programme had started.

Mr Thomas added that talking about how crime starts and what can be done about it, “really empowered us because crime is such a huge thing and it’s really intimidating but we are not as small and insignificant as we may feel”.

“We are powerful, we are amazing, we have the capability to solve these issues and all it takes is for us to change together as a community and solve these issues together.”

Z’Ajae Lee spoke about how examining identity and privilege allowed the young “to look into the world very differently”.

She shared a speech she wrote on the social tensions in the world that questioned where the disconnect between blacks and whites began and how the gaps could be bridged.

She added: “I think that we all as a society have to unite. I understand that our history can never be forgotten.

“But we have to learn to let go and live towards a united front of peace.”

She said this needs to start by stopping children from “thinking that they aren’t able to fit in and they have to stick with what they know”.

She added: “What has been handed to us is a broken world filled with separation that is being upheld by both sides of the fence.

“We have to uplift both sides of the community to create a better one, to break down walls and build bridges.”

Chervonne Hodsoll spoke about leadership and the community leaders the course participants met.

She added: “As young people, we are often overlooked as though we can’t possibly be the future of our communities.

“Whether it’s through changing policies like what we did with the Department of Youth and Sport, or through building bridges like what we did with the Chewstick Foundation, we as future leaders have demonstrated that we all have the power to make a difference.”

And Ka’Ri Richards spoke about how philanthropy can lead to social change because “charity alone cannot overturn injustice”.

“At the beginning of the programme I was informed about all of the world’s problems and now I know that there are ways that the problems can be resolved.

“I have realised there is so much more that everybody could do to improve the world but not many people have the knowledge about the world and its problems.

“But also, we as a nation have become sleepwalkers and go along with the social norms.

“So, we must break the cycle of cynicism and practice the cycle of hope and repeat until a better world results. We must be the change we wish to see in the world, advocate on it and take action.”

Mr Roberts also thanked the BIU, which sponsored some of the participants, for its support.

He said: “We no longer feel like these tiny morsels who can’t make a difference. We feel powerful, we feel empowered and none of this would have been able to happen without the BIU’s support into this programme.

He added: “It is now up to you, all of you, to acknowledge that we as young people have a contribution that we bring to society. It is now up to you to acknowledge the capability we hold as young people.

“We don’t just stick our heads in our mobile phones, we don’t just go on our laptops, we don’t just ride our bikes along the streets and cause mayhem. We are much greater.

“Don’t scream out my failures and whisper my accomplishments. We are much greater and powerful than proven to be. So please don’t underestimate us but include us, acknowledge us.

“You are the change you wish to see in the world — it changes with the youth and it changes now.”