Girls Who Grew Up to LeadChapter 8 of 15

Chapter 8

Fewer Than 200 Votes

Mia Mottley, Barbados

Map showing Barbados

Mia Mottley’s speech at the opening of the COP26 climate summit, November 2021.

Video from CARICOM, in English. Open it on YouTube

Also worth a look: Another recording of the full speech, from Doha Debates.

Think about it

Is it a problem when one party wins every single seat, even if voters freely chose it? What would you want to see to make sure democracy stays healthy?

More questions from this chapter
  1. Two hundred votes. You lose your first big contest by a tiny margin. Do you try again, or decide it wasn’t meant to be?
  2. Thirty-five minutes. Your own teammates vote you out while you’re not in the room. Do you walk away from the team, or stay and wait for your chance?

Your turn: Mia used her voice to speak for small countries. Is there a group of people whose voice you think goes unheard? How could you help them be heard?

For parents and teachers: these videos come from news organizations and official channels. You may want to watch first with younger readers.