poll conducted by The Royal Gazette on the streets of Hamilton this week showed.

Youngsters of various ages and backgrounds were asked what improvements they thought could be made to Bermuda in the New Year.

The resounding opinion was that Government did not provide enough for young people to do during their free time and that more activities should be introduced.

Fifteen-year-old Danielle Savery said the Island needed "more attractions, such as shows and field trips for young people''.

Chantelle Daniels, 13, and Natasha Todd, 12, agreed, saying that young people should have a place to meet during their spare time.

They also expressed the opinion that more jobs should be open to teenagers during the summer holidays, arguing that a lot of the trouble caused by Bermuda's youth comes from having nothing to do.

When asked how he thought Bermuda could be improved, 15-year-old Josh Kressin replied: "There should be some fast food restaurants and maybe a water park.'' His friend, Eddie Richardson, said: "Young people just need more stuff to do.

There should be a youth club or something for people to go to.'' Another 15-year-old, Rotimi Martens, said he thought there should be more activities for Bermuda's youth such as concerts and sports events.

"Young people need somewhere to go at night time,'' he said, "maybe a youth club or something.'' When asked his opinion, Mukhtar Abdur-Jabbar, 15, said he felt that "there should be a greater outlet for the talents of young people''.

He added that he thought talent competitions should be introduced into the Island calender.

Of course some people had different ideas about how Bermuda could be improved in 1999.

Zahra Jabbar, 22, said: "Bermuda needs a more solid education system, something that teaches young people about money management and how to be computer literate.'' She added: "The issue of sexually transmitted diseases needs to be addressed more in schools. Also, the number of road accidents could be reduced by better driving instruction.'' Fourteen-year-old Nicole Simmons was in agreement with this final point, saying that more care needed to be taken by younger drivers. Tyler Hollis, 11, felt that young Bermudians needed to take more care of their environment.

"There's way too much trash on the streets,'' he said. "It needs to be cleaned up.'' When asked what changes he had in mind for the coming year, new Youth Development, Sports, Park and Recreation Minister Dennis Lister said: "There's no easy answer to that question.'' "We (the Progressive Labour Party) still haven't had a full assessment of how successful the current programmes are,'' he noted. "Our plan of action will be amended when we know exactly what young people want so we can meet their needs effectively.'' Tyler Hollis Nicole Simmons Josh Kressin Chantelle Daniels Eddie Richardson Rotimi Martens Natasha Todd Mukhtar Abdur-Jabbar Zahra Jabbar Danielle Savery