A veteran educator has called on Bermuda to seriously consider a curfew for minors.

But Northlands Primary principal Dale Butler yesterday told The Royal Gazette a curfew should be just one measure in a collective community effort to save the Island's future, its youth.

Mr. Butler, who is believed to be one of the Progressive Labour Party's candidates for Warwick East, said he would really like to see a national committee of various members of the community, including youth, formed to come up with a plan for Bermuda's youth.

Prompted to speak out after seeing several young people, including one of his former students -- a 14-year-old -- hanging out at Court Street last Friday night, Mr. Butler said: "Either we find some ways of making parents more responsible for their children or we will have to use the heavy hand for all.'' This, he added, could include stopping parents whose children get in trouble from travelling.

But first the Island needed to address why a sense of hopelessness was being passed on to Bermuda's young people, Mr. Butler said.

"I'm calling for national discussion on the value of Bermudians to their own country,'' he explained. "This would include young people, and older people who followed the rules only to be turned down as the head of the Police Service, the Collector of Customs, the principal of CedarBridge, Solicitor General and so on...

"But the main point is to have some community dialogue. We need to find some creative way of having parents, clubs, churches and schools working together.'' While noting that there were a variety of support groups available in Bermuda for youth, Mr. Butler said their individual efforts were not enough.

"At the end of the day parents are responsible for our children,'' he pointed out. "But why is it that some parents appear to be abandoning their responsibility? "Is it because they are too young or are having extreme difficulty making ends meet?'' Mr. Butler also noted that many young couples could not afford to buy homes and that those who could usually worked two jobs just to pay the mortgage and therefore spent much time away from home.

Pointing out that people like race relations activist, Eva Hodgson, had warned years ago about the link between economic and social stability, Mr. Butler said: "It is unfortunate that we did not heed warnings by Dr. Hodgson.'' "Why is it that one's people lack the hunger we all had for upward mobility?'' he asked. "Is it because we see those people who have worked hard not going anywhere?'' Bermuda was not only experiencing a dismantling of its culture, Mr. Butler said, but attempts were also being made to destroy "the national soul''.

"We have to place much more emphasis on Bermudians and those who are not qualified have to be trained,'' he said. "Why is it we're not able to produce Bermudians (in key positions)? Is there no long-term planning? "We also need some honesty. If not, we're going to see some pretty serious things happen.'' But, he pointed out, all was not lost and there were still "fine features'' to Bermuda.

"We need to inspire them (young people) to turn what they see as obstacles into opportunities,'' Mr. Butler said. "We need some solid leadership.'' He added that he was more concerned about long-term planning for young Bermudians, rather than their rights.

Mr. Butler is not the first public official to call for a curfew to "save youngsters'' from the streets.

Earlier this year, both Public Safety Minister Quinton Edness and aspiring UBP MP Raymond Whitecross advocated curfews.

Mr. Whitecross suggested that parents should impose a curfew of 9 p.m. on weekdays and 10 p.m. on weekends for young teens.

And Mr. Edness applauded Juvenile Court Magistrate Cherly-Ann Mapp who in April disclosed that she intended to make a curfew part of bail conditions for youngsters who appeared before her. The policy would only be lifted if there were exceptional reasons for the youngster to be out at night, she said, such as a job.

But, like Mr. Butler, both Mr. Edness and Mr. Whitecross pointed out that mandatory curfews for all youths would not work without "very broad community support''.