Bermuda’s youngest Member of Parliament has urged the Government to push ahead with changes to the education system.

In his first speech in the House of Assembly, Progressive Labour Party backbencher Dennis Lister III said revamping the middle school system and introducing a Steam academy in primary schools would provide more opportunities for young people to find their purpose in life and keep them away from negative influences.

“I want to encourage our government to continue going forth with their Throne Speech promises of introducing the Steam academy and also to go through with revamping the middle school system because that is where the majority of our young and especially black men fall through the cracks,” he said.

“They get lost because they are not as academic as ‘that person’, so they feel like they are a failure.

“We have to do all that we can to make a positive environment for the young people coming up: to enforce to them and reinforce and reiterate to them that you can be whatever it is you want to be; give them all the opportunities education-wise, training-wise so that they can be exposed to anything so that they can see their opportunities.”

During Friday’s motion to adjourn, Mr Lister, 32, said not everyone wanted to work in law, medicine, accounting or insurance. And with schools focused on academics, he said the challenge lay with those who were not academically inclined.

“And that challenge has a knock-on effect in society and what we see today with a lot of antisocial behaviour, a lot of negative that young people get caught up in,” he said.

But he added that being able to pursue other career paths “will keep them away from any negative influences in life”.

He said: “If they know that they can be successful in that and make their living, that will give them a focus in life, a purpose and keep them from getting distracted in negative things that as an idle mind, with no purpose, it is much easier to get caught up in.”

Mr Lister said the PLP’s pledges in the Throne Speech to fix the education system and to provide better opportunities and training for Bermudians should also include providing opportunities for young people to reach their purpose. He said the story of Bermudian boxer Nikki Bascome resonated with a lot of young people.

“School wasn’t his forte. He got caught up in some negative vibes in life but he got the exposure to something good that he used to his benefit.

“If we can do that with all the young people coming up, you can imagine the positive effect this is going to have for Bermuda.”

He also spoke about his own experience, telling the House that although he was not sure about what he wanted to be growing up, he knew he wanted to sit in the House of Assembly as an MP.

And after working with his uncle, former MP Terry Lister, in 2010, he felt it was his time to stand up and make a difference.He said he was here today because he had found his purpose and stuck with it.

Mr Lister added that he received supportive messages from many young people, who now want to follow his lead “all because one person took a stand, followed their purpose and used it to make a difference”.

He concluded by urging the island’s youth to “do all you can to pursue your purpose, do what you can to make it your goal in life to use your purpose to affect those around you positively”.