Summer in Bermuda is always very special because our warm waters and delightful sunshine helps to create a mood for outdoor activity, with beach parties and other events that even our visitors enjoy in an atmosphere of glowing hospitality. It is a season that most Bermudians welcome each year, and we certainly hope that never changes.

However, in the fast pace of today’s society, people race about as though there is no tomorrow, plus the giant waves of electronic chatter in a crowded cyberspace where people can be seen texting just about everywhere, including while crossing the street in heavy traffic, oblivious to what is happening around them. Our young people have been swept up in what is perhaps the new way of communicating, and with smartphones of all types and sizes, the door swings open for positive and negative material, creating a big challenge for all parents and guardians.

We have a number of positive youth programmes aimed at keeping young minds developing towards becoming not only successful citizens, but learning important qualities that they later may pass on to the next generation. We know that in a relay race, unless the baton is passed to the next runner, the exercise is futile. In other words, no one can pass on qualities they lack themselves.

All of Bermuda takes pride when our young people excel, whether it is in the field of sports or academics. While that is positive, there are troubled waters beneath the surface, with some children falling prey to negative elements that encourage activity that can destroy a promising mind. This is a serious problem in many countries and, despite global police’s efforts to protect children, the vulnerable suffer in many cases with countless lives lost.

Bermuda is fortunate not to have children taken from their families and often forced into labour, as well as being subjected to all manner of abuse. It is a tragedy that some can hardly believe is still taking place on this planet. With reports here that children as young as 10 have been consuming alcohol as a form of excitement, there should be alarm bells sounding throughout the island that something is very wrong in our value structure that could begin with the family.

We know there are many parents deeply concerned about negative peer pressure that at times has resulted in a promising child drifting off course in an effort not to feel left out of certain social activities. Teenage deaths in a number of countries have been linked to extensive alcoholic consumption, with others suffering permanent brain damage. This is not a subject to be taken likely and, with summer beach parties approaching, the alert level for having underage people engaging in activity that even adults need to be careful about is extremely crucial.

Most of us are familiar with the term “the drinks are on the house”. However, in today’s climate of social change, the drinks may in fact be in the house. In America, many families keep guns locked away from young people as much as possible to avoid misuse of a weapon with deadly consequences. Not every family follow safety rules to the letter, and children killing children with a family gun occurs too often.

While some may not consider alcohol as lethal as a gun, more thought should be given to protecting our children from being exposed to a substance that, although legal, has taken a heavy toll on Bermudian families over the years — mainly through addiction and its effect on the mind.

More talk around the family table is needed to support other community efforts to bring about change in our social infrastructure to protect young minds before it’s too late.

Every young mind should be considered precious, and losing even one is never an option if we want the next generation to be in position to pass on the baton of good community values.