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Lessons from the field: Sustainability through
intergenerational learning

By Carolyn Kitione A three-day cross-generational National Convention
organised by the Fiji Women’s Forum and Fiji Young Women’s
The Pacific Feminist Forum (PFF) in 2016 was a ma- Forum in 2017 was an opportunity to develop strategies for
jor undertaking and a turning point in the journey of the Pacific women’s political participation.
feminist movement. As a volunteer for femLINKpacific at the time, attend-
The event was a combination of years of organizing, ing the convention was an almost surreal moment for me.
networking and engaging in different spaces. It was – as the In the room, there were participants from different
then Executive Director of the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement, backgrounds and all ages coming together to map a way for-
Michelle Reddy put it - “a space where feminist, women human ward for the women’s rights movement in Fiji.
rights defenders and advocates are able to recruit; a space to There were moments that exposed generational val-
learn from each other, to share the challenges and hurt.” ues and created tension in the room but our ability to organise
Dr Claire Slatter, who delivered the keynote address, with a common goal is what eventually progressed conversa-
shared her experience as a young feminist co-organising the tions in the room.
first Pacific Women’s Conference (PWC), after returning from For me, it was realising that the work we do for the
the First World Conference on Women (1975) that was held at future we want did not occur overnight. And that is the beauty of
Mexico City. intergenerational spaces.
“Interestingly, most of the women who attended the It provides us with an opportunity to learn about what’s
meeting were older women so it was actually a little bit of a been done but also realising what could be done.
reverse – younger women organizing a meeting with an early These spaces put us together with diverse groups of
feminist agenda,” she explained. women: women with disability, the LBT (lesbian, bisexual, trans-
This “reversal” in dynamics is interesting because too gender) community, rural women and young urban women.
often these days, young women aren’t being brought into the By providing that intergenerational space, we are
fold over discussions that concern their future. allowing for intersectional conversations to take place. It forces
Even if we move away from the “feminist agenda” us to consider the disadvantages someone faces because of
narrative and into the wider advocacy movement, who makes their overlapping social identities.
all the decisions? Who sets the agenda? And yes, there will be disagreements, but when we
Because too often, young people aren’t seen as talk about sustainability of a movement we are talking about
partners for development, nor are we seen as leaders of today an inclusive human rights and peacebuilding approach that
despite evidence to the contrary. includes diverse groups of people.
At a recent workshop, I was the lone youth (and We are carrying forward the visions of the women and
female) voice in a table of aging men. human rights defenders who came before us and that’s how we
To say I was intimidated would have been accurate. create sustainability in a movement.
That they were receptive to what I shared was another issue
altogether.
For young women – and young people in general – we
are working in systems that are not designed for us yet here we
remain, challenging existing oppressive and patriarchal struc-
Since the mid-2000s GPPAC Pacific has advocated for greater
tures and transforming these spaces into more inclusive zones.
inclusion of youth perspectives in GPPAC global agenda.
In recent years, there has been a shift in the overall
We have experienced in many of our regional crises and con-
understanding of young people’s roles in our development
flicts that young people are active agents of peace and have a
culture.
In 2015, the United Nations Security Council unani- key role to play in the prevention of violence and armed conflict
mously passed Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security. as agents of change in peaceful conflict resolution.
This resolution, as well as Resolution 2419 (2018), We also recognise that young women contribute to human se-
recognises youths as positive role models in preventing con- curity in their local communities, as well as at national, regional,
flicts and building peace. and international levels.
It also urges governments and stakeholders to give In recent years GPPAC has made a commitment to integrate
us a greater voice in decision-making at all levels and includes
youth mainstreaming as a cross-cutting priority because as a
setting up the mechanisms that would allow us to participate
peacebuilding network we believe that sustainable peace can
meaningfully in these processes.
only be achieved with the participation of all members of soci-
Traditional structures rarely, if ever, entertain and
ety, regardless of any particular aspects of their identity, such
much less welcome the vocal contribution of young people. The
as gender, religion, race, class, age, or nationality.
issue is made messier when it’s the voices of young women
that need to be heard. GPPAC’s strategy includes a focus on the implementation of
In societies where tradition and culture still guide com- UN Security Council Resolution 2250, making youth participa-
munal life, it is important to find allies and create structures that tion in peace processes an absolute priority.
are conducive to young women’s participation in decision-mak-
ing.