Episode: 3 Part 1
Podcast Title: Power Of...
Episode Title: Feminist Leadership Beyond Gender Binaries: Perspectives from Guyana – Part 1
Welcome to the Power Of…podcast, with host Johanna Riha. Working at the Gender and Health Hub at the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health in Malaysia, Johanna is passionate about stimulating critical, thought provoking, and contemporary conversations that aim to drive gender equality in global health. In the previous two episodes, we heard from Simone Hill, a lesbian activist and founder of PETAL, Promoting Empowerment Through Awareness for Lesbian and bisexual women in Belize, about her leadership journey and experiences. In the next two episodes, Johanna continues on the theme of the power of feminist leadership, countering the misconception that feminist leadership is solely about women’s leadership.
In these episodes, Johanna speaks with Kobe Smith, a young male leader from Guyana who has held various local, regional and international leadership positions, including being the co-founder and Vice President of the Sustainable Youth Network in Guyana, Director of the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition, and a member of Fos Feminista's Board of Directors, co-chairing its advocacy committee.
To kick off the conversation, Johanna asks Kobe what feminist leadership means to him and how he feels about the label of feminist leadership. In response, Kobe highlights the importance of having these conversations with men and boys who may be working to advance health equity but might not view themselves as feminist leaders. Kobe shares that his journey as a feminist leader was motivated by personal experiences and in particular the loss of his mother to ovarian cancer due to insufficient and inadequate health services. This experience made him realise the devastating effects of social inequalities on one’s health. Since then, Kobe has actively worked towards addressing the unmet health needs of vulnerable populations, such as women, girls, LGBTQ+ individuals, and others. For Kobe, feminist leadership is informed by personal experiences, but also it is also about centering the lived experiences of those who have been marginalised, to ensure health for all. Kobe further explains that this is accomplished through collective action to develop responsive programmes and discusses the significance of providing flexible funding to grassroots organisations to ensure the delivery of essential services.
As the conversation continues, Johanna asks about the challenges of deep rooted harmful social norms within organisations, including those working towards social justice, and how these may be overcome. In response, Kobe discusses that feminist organisations are not free from challenges, as all humans bring their own traumas into a space and may perpetuate the inequalities they aim to address. He stresses the responsibility of the organisation to ensure accountability and maintain high standards of conduct. As the episode concludes, Kobe further emphasizes the need for meaningful and non-tokenistic diversity and inclusion within leadership boards to better represent and serve the communities they aim to support.
This episode is dedicated to Kobe’s mother.
Look out for the next episode where Kobe will continue to share his story and discuss the importance of wellness and staying grounded when serving in positions of power.
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