Ayesha Constable: Girl power

SHE’S adventurous, a risk taker, a leader and a dreamer who’s not afraid to turn her fantasies into reality. Ayesha Constable, 30, grew up in the rural community of Glengoffe, St Catherine, and told All Woman she learned from childhood to hone her leadership skills.

“Being the middle child I took on the leadership role in the family as I had to prove that I was just as bold as my brother and the senior to my sister,” she said.

She said growing up in rural Jamaica had its challenges, but she knew there was more that life had to offer.”I walked many miles to school in sometimes less than ideal conditions. By the time I got to high school I had to walk the same distance to the first bus stop and take three vehicles to school and do the same journey home. It meant I had to be up from about 4:30 am most days in order to get to school on time. It wasn’t until much later that I realised how difficult things were, especially because people around me had life harder. At that time we just did what we had to without complaining.”

But Constable, who is an activist for young women, said that even though she had to prove herself at a young age, she wasn’t always bold.

“When I was younger I tried to speak more softly; I felt that as a young woman it was the right thing to do. My great-grandmother would tell me, ‘You talk too loud, you’re too abrasive’, and while I got that, I tried unknowingly to be somebody else. We live in a society that tells you in subtle ways that the men can do these things and have access to these things and so I recognised that if I was in a position where I could affirm these young women and validate them, tell them to own their voices, own their power and not be afraid, that I’d be doing for them what I did not have somebody doing for me earlier on,” she said.

And so while at Merl Grove High, Constable developed the courage to live her dreams, which she said was also challenging as she faced much opposition from people who thought she was too vocal.

“At Merl Grove I was very afraid because I recognised I could be powerful and I was afraid people would dislike me. In third form a bunch of girls attacked me because I ‘gwaan like mi bright’ and I was confused and wondered how to act stupid because clearly being smart was a problem.”

But with much determination Constable decided she wouldn’t please people or sell herself short, which led her to becoming head girl and assuming other leadership positions.

She said she used reading as a tool to help her dream big and go after her life’s goals.”Reading was my window to the world and the basis of my dreams. I was introduced to interesting places and inspiring people by books my father had, and those I would borrow from the community library. I spent my summers sitting under trees reading and daydreaming about travelling and meeting people and making a mark on the world,” she said.

Upon completing her undergraduate degree in geography at the University of the West Indies, Constable jetted off to Japan to participate in the teaching exchange programme, based on a desire to see that country and its culture.

“It was a seed planted from I was eight years old; my mother had a diary with pictures of Japan with women in kimonos and gardens. I said I’d go to Japan some day and as soon as I finished university I applied and was successful.

“I spent two years teaching English to senior high school students and I realised who I was and what I had to offer,” she said.Thereafter, Constable said she caught the travel bug and ventured to Taiwan and Thailand before returning home to complete her studies.

She later took up the Commonwealth Building Bridges Fellowship and went to England with young women from across the Commonwealth for a one-week residential programme where she was trained to deal with women’s issues and offer empowerment. Constable, who is currently pursuing a doctorate in geography, has worked on countless projects that are geared towards the advancement of women.

They included being the vice-chair of ‘I’m Glad I’m a Girl’, which was geared towards impacting young women from vulnerable communities across Jamaica through a residential camp at Mary Seacole Hall at UWI. The girls were empowered to own their voices.

She is also the youth advocate for the Young Women’s Leadership Initiative and was one of five representatives from the Caribbean who took part in Global Power Shift in 2013 held in Turkey, and in December she also travelled to Peru to participate in a United Nations convention framework on climate change.

But of the many hats she has worn, the project that has impacted her most is her experience facilitating a gender, governance and empowerment retreat for leaders in St Kitts and Nevis last year with female leaders and teen mothers, especially since her main goal is to become a renowned expert on gender and climate change.

“The two-day retreat taught communication skills, social graces, self-awareness and sexual and reproductive health. It was especially impactful because at the end of the two days the girls, in expressing thanks, cried openly and asked for the programme to be continued. It was also personally empowering as I accepted the job as a challenge to myself and it proved to be an immense success,” she said.

Constable, who also tutors geography at UWI, considers herself to be a big sister to many of the students.

“I build strong relationships with the students and if they miss a tutorial I e-mail, call and ask if they’re OK and try to find out other ways I can be of assistance,” she said.Constable added that along with the long-term goal of being a leading expert on gender and climate change, in the short term she wants to continue her work with young people on a wider scope.

“If I can inspire one young man or woman to believe in him or herself, to acknowledge that we are more than our circumstances and to dream, then my efforts would be worth it. I live my best life each day, because you can’t redo today tomorrow. Even though I don’t always get it right, it’s in the back of my head and it keeps me going and keeps me inspired,” she said.

— KIMBERLEY HIBBERT