The founder of Bermuda Is Love left his career as a lawyer in 2024 to dedicate himself to an organisation built around a simple belief: every person deserves to have their basic needs met.

“I would call myself a full-time activist. We do various things around the community advocating for basic human needs: food, housing, healthcare, education, clothing, justice and the environment,” said Aaron Crichlow.

That work ranges from free legal advice clinics and clothing giveaways to health initiatives, school breakfast programmes, after-school clubs and scholarships. At the centre of it all is his belief in the inherent value of every person.

“There’s a deep love for humanity, a deep love for our fellow humankind. I believe that every person has intrinsic worth and value and deserves to be loved for who they are and have their basic needs met.”

His activism was influenced partly by his father, whom he describes as someone who “always had a vision for a better Bermuda”, as well as his own experiences witnessing inequality on the island.

University, family and friends, everyday life in Bermuda and major events including the Black Lives Matter movement and Covid-19 also shaped his thinking. Over time, questions about what it meant to be a good person became questions about the kind of society he wanted to help create.

For Mr Crichlow, that includes confronting the economic disparities he sees around him.

“There’s a lot of money in Bermuda, but it’s concentrated,” he said. “What kind of society do we really want to live in?”

Today, Bermuda Is Love is tackling issues across seven areas, with working groups allowing members to focus on different causes.

Food security is a major priority. The charity currently runs its school breakfast programme at Elliot Primary School three days a week and Harrington Sound Primary School one day a week, with ambitions to expand.

“We want every child in Bermuda to have access to a healthy breakfast so they can start their day with the energy they need to fully succeed.”

Housing is another priority. Bermuda Is Love recently launched a tenants’ union designed to help renters organise around issues ranging from maintenance and repairs to rent arrears and evictions.

“We believe housing is a human right and people shouldn’t be homeless or have to struggle to have a place to call home.”

The organisation has also leased National Trust property to develop a community farm, an initiative Mr Crichlow hopes can contribute to addressing Bermuda’s food insecurity.

He points to the island’s heavy reliance on imported food and says greater use could be made of Bermuda’s available arable land.

Other initiatives include moral education clubs for children focused on love, empathy and kindness, free legal advice clinics and a developing health clinic. The organisation has also launched its No New Clothes for September campaign, encouraging residents to spend the month reconsidering their consumption habits.

It is a considerable departure from the career Mr Crichlow once had.

He practised law from 2021 until 2024 and holds degrees in philosophy and law, as well as master’s degrees in both. But in Bermuda Is Love, he says he has finally found the thing he wants to do.

“A lot of people I grew up with wanted to be a footballer, a dancer, a musician. I never had that. This is basically what it is. Bermuda Is Love is putting my beliefs out there in practice.”

Creating change, however, requires patience.

Bermuda Is Love began with Mr Crichlow and a couple of high school friends. Today, he says, it has a board and between 40 and 50 members.

“One aspect is definitely consistency. When I first started Bermuda Is Love, people were not on board. They thought it would last a year or a few months. After time, as it continues to exist and grow, people start to get behind it a lot more.”

That consistency takes different forms. Some days are spent working directly with students or meeting people interested in getting involved. Others involve discussions with ministers and government boards, making recommendations or contributing ideas around policies and legislation.

When progress at one level feels slow, Mr Crichlow simply turns his attention to another.

“We can go back to the grass roots and when we feel like doing something bigger, we can go meet with politicians,” he said. “There are lots of different ways we can make change.”

For him, there is no point at which the work is simply finished.

“A world that is better doesn’t just come into existence. It’s a continuous process. We have to continue to educate people with love and kindness and meet people where they’re at. Progress is dependent on consistency and being able to show up for one another.”