Today they are seeing unprecedented turn-out for the US mid-term elections in the US.  It’s too early to say what the outcome will be, although the pundits on social media, TV and radio are all having a good go.  No matter the result of the vote the outcome is obviously good for democracy – more people turning up to have their say means more involvement and hopefully change.

I experienced this in microcosm this past week after attending the AGM of Kickstart, Roscoe’s local football club here in Barbados.  It’s fair to say that the club hasn’t been doing very well witnessed by the fact this was the first AGM in 3 years.  The room was full, many parents coming straight from work; many keen to have their voices heard, no matter what they were going to say.

These events are always good to attend.  Not only do I find out the Boards reasoning for only having an AGM after 3 years, I also listen to a fairly contradictory story around the financial position of the club which is rightly challenged by the parents.  On the other hand it becomes clear that the parents want their children to go to a club which is winning at any cost while the club director of football wants to create a more family orientated, social, fitness and rounded developmental approach.  It’s not that the two are contradictory, it’s just going to need clarity, communication and a different approach.    However, this is not a society that lends itself well to change.  I listen to a common pattern unfold, ” you need to change, I don’t have to”.   From local radio, meetings and discussions I’ve witnessed, the focus is on what the government, elected officials, board members, leaders, managers need to do, not on the individual taking responsibility and making any change.  No where was this more clear than a ludicrous exchange at the AGM about the location of the bar in the main clubhouse.  Let me paint the picture; most football teams in Barbados do not have clubhouses or even designated private facilities dedicated to football.  They share their space with the local community, borne out by the location they are using for our current Saturday tournament which is shared  with the livestock and chickens of the local community; one of Roscoe’s matches was halted to remove the cow that had wandered onto the pitch looking for some fresh grass.

By contrast, Kickstart Football Club boasts a custom-made clubhouse with a bar, bar area, kitchen, meeting room, office, viewing gallery upstairs and changing rooms, player rooms, and another viewing area downstairs.  The facilities include three pitches and two enclosed tennis courts.    The AGM conversation focused on whether the bar in the club house was located in the wrong place as many of the parents sit downstairs to watch matches and don’t walk upstairs for drinks.  I am dumbfounded.  We have just had a long drawn out conversation about club finances and the need to reduce costs and increase discretionary spend particularly in the bar.  The parents solution?  To spend money to  move the bar because they can’t be bothered climbing a flight of stairs to purchase a bottle of water or coke.

However, it’s democracy in action, they have had their say and have put the onus back on the club without accepting any personal responsibility.

Now I really believe in voting, on making your mark.  But as the various factions in the UK and the US have proved, it’s not just about placing your mark in a particular box every so often, it’s about what individuals are prepared to do to make a difference.  Whether its marching, holding rallies, standing for local government, Parliament, sitting on boards,  trade union bodies, starting grass-roots activism, showing courage by standing up for your beliefs or showing up and being counted, change and accountability starts with you.

Be the change.