Shadow Public Safety Minister Alex Scott has come up with a plan to help save youngsters from the streets.

Reading out startling prison statistics from an Opposition crime report in a recent speech at the 50th anniversary banquet of his alma mater, Purvis Primary, Mr. Scott said Bermuda was losing too many young people, particularly black males, to a life of despair.

"The time has arrived for us to throw out a life line,'' he said.

"In my opinion, our young are calling ... especially our young men. They are calling out for early guidance and advice that will direct them through the maze of decisions that they will have to make once they complete their primary education at Purvis.

"We cannot care too soon for these young people.'' Mr. Scott suggested that Purvis' alumni should create a "mentor system/network''.

"This network of alumni would become a good shepherd, like a big brother and big sister to those few youngsters who on leaving the Purvis family can benefit from a good shepherd,'' he explained.

"There would be someone, somewhere who would keep a watching eye on these vulnerable youngsters during these early, crucial years of their lives.

"This good shepherd programme may be of assistance in helping to settle the youngster into his/her secondary school; maybe assist by arranging aid or a scholarship for a bright student, whose parents did not have the means.

"The Purvis good shepherds would be a group that the principal and staff could call on to provide that little extra help that might make the difference in saving or losing a child.'' Mr. Scott said Purvis alumni should first start a committee which could look into the feasibility of establishing such a programme and find out how many adults were prepared to mentor the graduate classes of Purvis.

"The object would be to provide advice and guidance for those youngsters and their parents/guardians who need and wish assistance in placing a young person on the road to a productive life,'' he added.

"The Purvis family have led in the past and they have an opportunity to lead once again. The Purvis Good Shepherd programme, if successful, would be a model for other schools in Bermuda at primary and secondary levels.'' Mr. Scott later pointed out to the The Royal Gazette there were officially no alumni associations for primary schools.

Stressing the primary school age was a crucial time to reach youngsters, he said: "That's where we either lose them or we can help them.

"Looking at the group (of Purvis alumni) they are all people who at any given time can provide guidance to young people.'' Mr. Scott, who served as the first chairman of Bermuda's Big Brothers and Big Sisters' group more than 20 years ago, said he gleaned the idea from such a group.

"I was mindful of how youngsters can be peered off with older people for guidance,'' he said, adding that even his son Lawrence, who came from a supportive family, experienced problems in school.

The youngster is now at Florida Air Academy where he is doing well.

Mr. Scott said: "But what about the youngsters who do not have that opportunity? Those are the ones who slip through the cracks.'' "When I went to Purvis, the community looked out for you,'' he recalled.

Mr. Scott also noted the change in Police relations' with young people.

"At that time the Police officer was of the community,'' he said. "My father was a parish constable of Warwick. He lived in the area, policed the area and knew the parents. And if a young person got in trouble, he would take the young person to his parents, saying, `I now leave him to you and if you don't deal with him, I will.' Police officers used to give you law and good order.'' Mr. Scott supported Police Commissioner Colin Coxall's idea of community policing.

"When the people get to know the officer and he can recognise individuals that are not from the area, he immediately becomes alerted to possible problems,'' he said.

"They knew what and who committed the mischievous and criminal acts, so many of our youngsters did not go to prison. They got a scare and that was enough.

For example, my father gave them projects and they later turned out to be very responsible people.

"I acknowledge Bermuda has changed from a rural community and we can't expect people to keep interacting the same, so we have to introduce new methodologies in the community to save our young people.

"It's one thing to say that times have changed and there's nothing we can do.

But I think we can reclaim our young people.

"We honestly hope it will take off in other schools. Purvis has led in other ways before.

"We can reintroduce that village concept into the school system, to structure it through the school system. Every primary school has alumni who care.'' Help young From Page 1 Purvis principal Carol Stoneham said she fully endorsed the Good Shepherd idea and planned to follow it up in the new year.

"I think it would work because I do know many students from long ago and I think they would be interested,'' she said. "We have a broad spectrum of people working in the community.'' Mrs. Stoneham noted that the suggestion was also "very well received'' by the alumni who attended.

"I think it will go over well because I know there were many ears there which heard it,'' she said.

One of those in attendance was Education Permanent Secretary Marion Robinson who called Mr. Scott's suggestion "an excellent idea''.

Noting she planned to make remarks at the banquet about how anniversaries were a good opportunity to reflect on past achievements and look to the future, Dr.

Robinson said: "I commented on how pleased I was he had given Purvis a recommendation on how it could respond to changing times.'' She added that such a programme should start with the "school family'', but the Education Department would be happy to assist any school which decided to adopt the programme.

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