leaders without relying on drugs.

This was the message driven home at Club PRIDE's first youth conference at Salvation Army's Citadel on North Street, Pembroke.

And it was reinforced by chants, such as "I don't need dope to cope'' and "I'm all that and more'', led by visiting motivational speaker Sister Mama Sonya from Houston, Texas.

Formerly a lawyer, Sonya Lucas-Roberts later told The Royal Gazette she found the Bermudian adolescents to be "really good''.

"Kids are the same everywhere,'' she added. "Their responsiveness is different probably because of my accent. But you have to love kids.'' The youngsters, as members of Club PRIDE, form an extension of the older Youth to Youth group whose mission is to teach leadership roles with a drug-free message.

Sponsored by Parent Resource Institute for Drug Education (PRIDE), Club PRIDE's conference was coordinated by PRIDE director Patricia Pogson and staffed by adult volunteers and teenage members of Youth to Youth.

After listening to messages from Ms Pogson, PRIDE chairperson Wendy Lambert and Sister Sonya, the 172 participants were divided into 12 workshops which were conducted by Youth to Youth and some adult volunteers.

Dedicated to specific themes, the groups dealt with such topics as Snack-a-rama, Drug Free Concoctions, Relaxation, Leadership, Friendship, and Boys to Men.

The Relaxation group were quite boisterous at the beginning of the session but by the end were conducting an exercise of quiet time in a circle on a mat.

Within 20 minutes a raucous group of kids had been transformed into a quiet relaxation chamber with soft music.

They were led by Robyn Dowling, 15, and Carla Govia, 16, who gave up time during their school holidays to pass on something of value to younger people.

"I thought this would be a good experience to work with young children,'' Ms Dowling said as she prepared to take up the large mat.

Government worker Stephen Lowe conducted the Boys to Men workshop, a male-only gathering to teach responsibility to oneself and to society. Using popular role models like professional basketball player Michael Jordan and rapper/actor Will Smith, Mr. Lowe taught the boys not to judge men by their wealth, but by their character and how responsible they were in their lives.

DRUGS DGS