Bermuda’s youth were urged to join and share their ideas with the Progressive Labour Party by the Premier who said he is prepared to “pass the torch” with pride to the next generation of leaders.

David Burt made the appeal last night when he addressed the party’s 60th annual general conference — his final one as PLP leader — at the Ruth Seaton James Auditorium last evening.

The conference was held under the theme “Leading for the Next Generation”.

Mr Burt said: “We are preparing the party to lead for the next generation, but we welcome more Bermudians to step forward.

“And so to the young and not-so-young Bermudians, your country needs you.”

Mr Burt added: “We need your talents, ideas, skills and voices to be a part of the work that makes Bermuda the country you want it to be.

“This is not about politics for politics sake; this is about service.”

Mr Burt urged delegates to be prepared to “do the difficult work” as did past leaders of the PLP for whom tributes were paid.

He said: “They recruited new members, they trained volunteers, they listened to every voter — especially those who did not vote for us or did not vote at all, because we serve them, too.”

Mr Burt told delegates that the party must be ready to invite first-time voters, returning students, young professionals and those who have never joined a political party.

Mr Burt said over the next year, he intends to focus on ensuring that more Bermudians are “included, empowered and thriving”.

He said he intends to ensure that the next generation of party leaders will thrive “and be ready to take this movement forward”.

He added: “As we look to our future, let us continue to honour those who came before us.

“Our founders, the elder and activists who led with courage and vision. And let us also celebrate those stepping forward today.”

Mr Burt said when he hands over the leadership of the PLP next year, he will do so with pride.

He said: “Leading this party was one of the greatest honours of my life.

“But here is the reality, leadership is not a possession, it is a trust. It is a baton passed from one generation to the next.

“And family, when I hand over that baton next year, I will do so with pride because I know the strength of this movement has never rested in one leader; it rests in all of us.”

He said it is his and the party’s shared responsibility to support the PLP’s next leader.

The Premier highlighted several government programmes — such as the recently launched Affordable Bermuda Agenda — which he said are impacting the lives of Bermudians.

However, he told the delegates: “Family, we have made progress, but there is much more to be done.

“The cost of living still squeezes families, for many affordable housing is too hard to find.

“Our public education system needs more improvement, the recent spate of gun violence, these are issues that we know that we must work harder to address together.”

He urged members to continue leading in the “best traditions” of the party and to address each other with honesty, make decisions with courage and deliver progress with care.

He added: “But, let us also make room at the table, share the tools and pass on what we know.

“That is how this movement will renew itself, that is how a country grows stronger and that is how this party will lead for the next generation.”

Mr Burt thanked his family, party leaders and members for their support over the years.

Jaché Adams, the Minister of Public Works and Environment, called on the party to look within.

He said although the PLP was victorious at the General Election in February, “we know it was not business as usual”.

He said: “We saw young people, many of whom grew up in PLP households now asking ‘what’s the point?’, they’re now questioning us.”

“So now I pose, perhaps we are no longer fighters like we were in the Eighties and now fighting to ensure the next generation is even listening.”

He said some of the PLP’s gatherings in recent times “feel more like reunions than recruitment grounds”.

Mr Adams questioned what more can be done to encourage youths to join the party.

He said: “So if we are serious about leading for the next generation, we cannot make decisions about them without including them.”

Aaron Crichlow, founder of Bermuda Is Love, told the gathering that more needed to be done to address everyday issues facing Bermudians, such as homelessness and the cost of living.

He said such were the “lived reality” that many face which he noted impact the island’s youth.

He said: “If we truly want to lead for the next generation, we must have the courage to heal those wounds.

“To challenge the systems that benefits us at the expense of others.

“We must have the courage to say no more … no more hunger, no more homelessness, no more helplessness, no more hopelessness.”

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